Five Cricketers Who Went Bankrupt At Some Point

Cricketers or athletes of any sports are some of the highest-earning professionals. In today’s era, professional sports has become a business of sorts. As of now, several cricketers make plenty of money in a given year by taking apart in T20 leagues around the globe, endorsements, and sponsorships. These athletes also invest in side businesses to earn extra income.

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Nevertheless, there exist some cricketers who had all the wealth and then lost everything. Having paid heavily during their playing days, cricketers are also ensured a financially secure future after retirement. However, due to some inefficient management of wealth, a few of them tend to lose their funds in bulk. Moreover, any financial crisis all over the world can also lead to loss of wealth.

We take a look at five cricketers who went bankrupt:

Adam Hollioake:

One of the prominent players of Surrey County Cricket Club, Adam Hollioake, captained it from 1997 to 2003. He was one of the Wisden Cricketers of 2003 and as an all-rounder, played for England between 1997 to 1999 in four Tests and 35 ODIs. As the captain of Surrey, Adam led to nine county championship titles, making him one of the successful first-class captains.

As the English team’s captain, he also led them to victory in the 1997 Sharjah Cup. Post-retirement, the 48-year old returned to his home country, Australia, to take care of family business. Initially, the company was flourishing; however, as recession beckoned, it lost the financial soundness. Eventually, it got dissolved in 2011 and declared insolvency in 2011. He moved on to take up mixed-martial arts to pay his bills.

Graeme Pollock:

Graeme Pollock was a left-handed batsman, who played 23 Tests for South Africa from 1963 and 1970. His dominating career was cut short as the Proteas national team faced a sporting boycott in their nation. Despite playing international cricket for only seven years, Pollock had a fulfilling career, creating plenty of records.

His batting average of 60.97 in Tests at present is the fifth-highest behind Don Bradman (99.94), Marnus Labuschagne (63.43), Steve Smith (62.84), and Adam Voges (61.87). In 2016, the 76-year old faced a financial crunch, having suffered a loss as massive as 2500000 dollars in a brokerage business.

Colon cancer and Parkinson’s disease also hit him and he was on the brink of losing his house. Pollock’s agent requested BCCI and IPL franchises to help him out.

Paul Strang:

Paul Strang chalked his place in the Zimbabwean team in the 90s, having played 119 matches across Tests and ODIs. In those 119 fixtures, the leg-spinner picked up 166 wickets. Paul Strang was also a handy batsman, who has a Test century to his name from 24 matches.

The 49-year old sustained massive financial losses that gave him suicidal thoughts as well. Paul faced a prison sentence for being a rebel. The former leggie revealed that their lands were snatched away and that anger made him a rebel.

The Bulawayo born stated as quoted by Indian Express in 2010 “It was a terrible time in our lives. I was a white man who believed in harmony, somebody who wanted to be a monk in the Himalayas before I got fascinated by cricket. But all that changed when our lands were taken away from us. My anger made me rebel against the law.”

Matthew Sinclair:

Australian-born cricketer played for New Zealand between 1999 and 2010. In 33 Tests, the Sinclair mustered 1635 runs at 32.05 including a high score of 214. The 214 is the highest score by a number three batsman on Test debut. Across 54 ODIs, he managed 1304 runs, managing two centuries. Sinclair also featured in a couple of T20Is the last of which came in 2007.

In 2013, the keeper-batsman quit international cricket and worked as a salesman. However, his lack of education didn’t enable him to fetch a lucrative job. In 2017, he ran away with his family, consisting of two children that triggered a manhunt. Later, he was found at a restaurant.

Chris Cairns:

Former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns was an exceptionally handy all-rounder, having scored over 8000 international runs across Tests and ODIs. In 277 international fixtures, Cairns also grabbed 419 scalps. Cairns played a significant role in guiding New Zealand to the ICC knockout trophy in 2000 by scoring a century in the final against India.

However, in 2013, the 50-year old found himself embroiled in match-fixing scandals. The legal costs proved costly enough that the former all-rounder had to resort to a cleaning job to fund the expenses. In 2014 in England, he was charged with perjury as well.

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