10 Players Who Have Exceptional Talent Apart From Playing Cricket

Cricketers enthrall us with their precocious talent on the playing field but in a lot of cases, their talent is not restricted to batting or bowling only.

Over the years, we have seen a lot of cricketers leave us in absolute awe with their hidden talent in different fields.

On that note, here’s a look at 10 players who have exceptional talent apart from playing cricket.

Andrew Flintoff- Boxing

One of the greatest all-rounders of the modern era, Andrew Flintoff captured the imagination of the cricketing folklore with his brilliant performances in both formats of the game in the 2000s.

One of the major architects of England‘s memorable Ashes wins in 2005 and 2009, Flintoff pre-maturely ended his international career in 2009 to focus on his 2nd love-Boxing.

Flintoff made his professional Boxing debut in November 2012 where he beat American Richard Dawson on a points decision.

Matthew Hayden- Cook

Matthew Hayden will go down in history as one of the most belittled openers that the game has ever seen.

Whether it was in Test cricket or the white-ball formats, Hayden, at the top of the order, was a constant menace for the opposition,  someone who dominated the bowling attacks with absolute disdain.

Apart from his cricket talent, Hayden is also a qualified chef. The former World Cup winner loves cooking and has even written a book on the subject.

Apart from cooking, Hayden is also renowned for his love for surfing.

Anil Kumble- Wildlife Photographer

Arguably, the greatest match-winner that India has ever produced, Anil Kumble is well known for his penchant for photography.

The sight of Kumble clicking pictures from the dressing room balcony every time his teammate scored a ton or brought up any other milestone was a constant throughout his career.

Kumble is hugely passionate about wildlife photography and he has clicked some amazing pictures via his DSLR. The former Indian cricketer frequently shares his photography on social media.

Shane Warne- Poker

The first cricketer to take in excess of 700 Test wickets, Shane Warne was the epitome of someone who was mentally tough and someone who loved playing mind games and get under the skin of the opposition batters.

And, perhaps that explains why Warne loves poker.

The former Australian has time and again explained the similarities that exist between cricket and poker.

“I draw many similarities between tournament poker and cricket. Each is long and grueling events that can be broken down into many smaller contests.’ It was, according to the Aussie, the thrill of the game that tempted Warne, rather than the money,”

Michael Vaughan- Dancer

Michael Vaughan was one of the bedrocks of the English Test batting unit in the 2000s.

One of the great tactics of the game, Vaughan led the English team to their first Ashes series win in 16 years against the mighty Australians in 2005 to impinge himself in the folklore of English cricket.

Vaughan announced his retirement from the game in 2008, post which he tried his hands at dancing.

He, along with his partner, participated in the reality show ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and although he did have a good time, he left the show in 2013 after the couple relieved the lowest scores.

Dwayne Bravo- Singer

Dwayne  Bravo will go down in history as one of the great all-rounders in the shortest format of the game.

However, Bravo’s talent isn’t only restricted to the cricketing field. He is also a pretty good singer.

In 2016, Bravo released his first single ‘Champion’ to commemorate West Indies T20 World Cup triumph. The song was a runaway success in India, topping charts.

Apart from singing, Bravo has also expressed his penchant for acting many a time, and perhaps, we may see him in a Bollywood movie in the future.

Kapil Dev- Golf

One of the greatest all-rounders that this beautiful game has ever seen and India’s 1983 World Cup-winning skipper, Kapil Dev’s love for Golf is well known.

The legendary cricketer has represented the country in a number of senior amateur Golf tournaments.

In 2019, Kapil Dev won 60-64 in the individual age category in Champions Golf and earlier this year, the former cricketer was inducted as a Professional Golf Tour of India board member.

Suresh Raina- Singer

Apart from being a brilliant match-winning white-ball cricketer, Suresh Raina is also a soulful singer.

In 2015, Raina bagged his first Bollywood solo track ‘Tu mili sab mila aur kya maangu mai’, which was composed by Siddhant Madhavan.

Three years later, Raina donned the singer’s hat again as he dedicated a song for all the daughters of the nation.

The cricket star, @ImRaina has dedicated something big for all the daughters of this nation! Catch the Priyanka Raina show on Red FM on Sat 9 AM & Sun 2 PM or tune in on the Red FM India App. @_PriyankaCRaina #SureshRaina #PriyankaRainaShow #sureshraina #priyankaraina pic.twitter.com/xxqydevJ8B

— RedFMIndia (@RedFMIndia) January 6, 2018

Ajinkya Rahane- Karate

Ajinkya Rahane might look like a soft-spoken guy with an innocent face, but in reality,  he is tough as nails.

The Indian Test vice-captain holds a black belt in karate.

However, earning a black belt was not an easy task for the Mumbai-born cricketer. He was required to break 50 bricks back-to-back and bear the pain of 50 people jumping over his stomach during the exams.

Brett Lee- Singing and Acting

One of the most loved cricketers of the modern era and a ferocious fast bowler in his heydays, Brett Lee’s talent isn’t restricted to the playing field,

Lee is a songwriter as well as a guitarist and he has even sung a song with the legendary Asha Bhosle back in 2006.

The former Australian cricketer has also acted in movies like ‘Victory’ and ‘Unindian, which released in 2015.