Cricket 2026: Sadness after ODI captain and title winner announce immediate retirements

Cricket fans and fellow players and expressing their sadness and paying tribute after two popular stars announced their immediate retirements on Tuesday. Zimbabwe women’s captain Mary-Anne Musonda and Surrey all-rounder Cameron Steel both announced their retirements from all forms of cricket.

The 34-year-old Mosunda captained Zimbabwe in ODI and T20 cricket and helped put the country's women's team on the map. She scored 1390 runs across 74 matches for her country, including a stunning ODI century against Ireland in 2021.

"From the outside it might seem like there's still more left in the tank - and in many ways there is," she said in a statement on Tuesday. "But this decision wasn't only about performance or ability. It was a combination of timing, perspective and physical reality.

"My role in developing the women's game, mentoring younger players and contributing to cricket in Zimbabwe in a broader sense has become just as important to me as playing...it became clearer that this is the right moment to step aside from international cricket."

Cameron Steel forced to retire due to ankle injury

Musonda's retirement came on the same day that American trailblazer Steel announced he's been forced to quit professional cricket due to an ankle injury. Born in California and raised in Western Australia, the 30-year-old played 66 first-class matches in County cricket across stints with Middlesex, Durham, Hampshire and Surrey.

The all-rounder helped Surrey win three-straight County championships from 2022 to 2024, before an ankle injury derailed him. He had surgery in February last year and then made his return, but has suffered ongoing complications that have caused him to retire.

"Playing cricket for a living, and particularly for Surrey, has been the best time of my life," he said in a statement. "The last 18 months have been frustrating, and I'm gutted to be retiring on medical grounds."

He finishes with 117 wickets and 3564 runs from 132 matches in red and white-ball cricket combined. "Cricket had become something I was watching, rather than doing, with too much time in the Oval's windowless gym and not enough time out in the middle," Steel said. "I've always prided myself on working hard and doing everything I can to improve, and I gave my all to get back on the park. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be."

Surrey skipper and former Test batter Rory Burns led the tributes to Steel. "We're obviously very disappointed for Cam because it's been a long time that he's had to rehab for and tried to get himself to somewhere where he feels like he can do his job," Burns said. "It's sad for him that it's not worked out that way and I've seen how much time and effort he's put in the gym over this last period and his dedication to it, so it's really disappointing for him.

"He's been someone that's been very diligent about how he's gone about his work and a true professional how he tried to get better each day. He's given a lot to the dressing room from professional side of things and also a personal side of things and he's going to be a big miss."

England great and Surrey's director of men's cricket Alec Stewart said: "It is cruel that injury has ended Cam's career but I know he has done everything in his power to try and get himself match fit and back out in the middle. In the five years he's been with us, he's had a really positive impact on the group and will be missed by everyone."

Fans flocked to social media to pay tribute to both Steel and Musonda after their retirements.

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