McCullum, Edwards and Taylor - the few who walked away in 2016

The year 2016 saw a number of big names in cricket bid adieu to the game for several reasons - sometimes inexplicable, sometimes confusing. While Brendon McCullum's decision to call it a day ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in India left the fans confused, Charlotte Edwards's decision to quit left most disappointed. Here's a look at some prominent retirements this year.

Charlotte Edwards (Retried from all forms of cricket)Charlotte Edwards decided to quit from all forms of cricket even after England Women managed to make it to the semifinal of the ICC Women's World T20 in India before they lost to Australia. The only player - both men and women - to lead England in more than 200 international games, she decided to quit after Mark Robinson, the coach, told her that she didn't feature in England's future plans.

Edwards represented England in 23 Tests, 191 One-Day Internationals and 95 Twenty20 Internationals scoring a total of 10,273 across formats with 13 centuries to her name.

Brendon McCullum (Retired from all forms of cricket)Blessed with one of the fastest hands in world cricket, McCullum's decision to retire after the home series against Australia left a lot of people surprised. He handed the reigns to Kane Williamson to lead in the World T20. McCullum took over from Ross Taylor in 2013 and created a legacy for which the New Zealand team was widely appreciated and acknowledged across the globe.

While they were busy playing the good boys in world cricket under McCullum, results didn't suffer. New Zealand made it to the final of the World Cup in 2015, were unbeaten in the World T20 before they lost in the quarterfinal and touched impressive heights.

The highlight of McCullum's Test career the triple century against India while he kept flaying bowlers with ease in limited-overs cricket. He represented New Zealand in 101 Tests, 260 ODIs and 71 T20Is.

Shane Watson (Retired from all forms of cricket)After a career that spanned just over 14 years, Shane Watson decided to hang his boots after the World T20. His last game saw Virat Kohli blunt the Australian attack in Mohali in the league game, as a result of which Australia were knocked out of the tournament, bringing the curtains down on Watson's career.

"One morning I woke up in Dharamsala to the beautiful view and I don't know what it was exactly but I knew now was the right time," Watson said about his decision. "I've really enjoyed my time being back in the Australian squad. But it is quite different, none of the other guys I played with growing up are here any more. I've made the right decision. I couldn't really see the light with the all the injuries I had."

A more than handy all-rounder, his record in ODIs stood out. He ended with 5342 runs and 168 wickets to his name while scoring 3731 and 1462 runs in Tests and T20Is respectively.

Rangana Herath (Retired from ODIs and T20Is)A maestro in Tests, Rangana Herath's limited-overs career never really took off due to injuries. In April, he decided to quit limited-overs cricket in order to focus on Tests.

"I think retiring from the shorter formats is the right move, because that will allow young players to be groomed for the next World Cup, as well as lowering my workload and letting me concentrate on Tests," he said justifying his decision.

Herath's moment under the sun came when he single-handedly knocked New Zealand out of World T20 in 2014 with match figures of 5 for 3. He played 71 ODIs and 17 T20Is.

Jerome Taylor (Retired from Tests)Jerome Taylor retired from Test just ahead of the start of the four-match Test series against India in the Caribbean. In a career that lasted for 46 Tests, he played his last against Australia in the first week of 2016. His 130 wickets came at an average of 34.46 with four five-wicket hauls to his name. He continues to be available for West Indies in limited-overs cricket.

Imran Farhat (Retired from all forms of cricket)After playing for Pakistan the last time in international cricket in 2013, Imran Farhat slipped out of the radar before finally announcing retirement in January. The left-hander took the decision to play in the in the Masters Champions League. He represented Pakistan in 40 Tests, 58 ODIs and seven T20Is, scoring 2400, 1719 and 76 runs respectively across formats.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Retired from all forms of cricket)One of the finest batsmen and the second-highest run-getter for West Indies, Shivnarine Chanderpaul retired from all forms of cricket after being left out of squad since May 2015. He was dropped after the three-Test against England where he was able to manage just 92 runs at an average of 15.33. He went on to feature in the MCL and turned up for Gemini Arabians.

Known for his unique stance, Chanderpaul played for over two decades and became only the second player to do it - the first being Sachin Tendulkar. The left-hander scored 30 Test centuries at an average of 51.37 to end with 11867 runs to his name. He 268 ODIs, scoring 8778 runs while the 22 T20Is fetched him 343 runs.

Nuwan Kulasekara (Retired from Tests)Like many others, Nuwan Kulasekara retired from Tests to focus on limited-overs cricket. "After much thought I believe it is the right time to retire and I hope it will allow me to better prepare for ODI and T20 cricket, which I would like to continue playing for Sri Lanka subject to good performance and selection," he went on to say about his decision.

Kulasekara last played a Test for Sri Lanka in 2014 against England at Lord's. Sri Lanka went on to register a historic 1-0 series win over the hosts but the pacer was dropped from the squad for the second Test. He played 21 Tests and picked up 48 wickets at an average of 37.4.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (Retired from ODIs and T20Is)After retiring from Tests in 2013, Tillakaratne Dilshan decided to call it a day after a three-match ODI series and two T20I series against Australia at home. Credited to have developed the 'dilscoop', Dilshan's attacking approach stood out as he carried the legacy forward after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena retired.

However, he struggled towards the end of his career and had just one 90-plus score in his last ten ODIs. He played 330 ODIs and 80 T20Is scoring 10290 and 1889 runs respectively.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (Retired from all forms of cricket)After being out of the West Indies squad for more than three years, Ramnaresh Sarwan decided to hang his boots in September. His announcement came at a ceremony in school in Guyana bringing the curtains down on his career where he went on to play 87 Tests, 181 ODIs and 18 T20Is.

Sarwan's moment under the sun came in 2003 where he played a key role in West Indies chasing down 418 against Australia in Antigua. He went on to score 105 while Chanderpaul scored 104 as West Indies won by three wickets.

Sarwan scored 5842 runs in 87 Tests apart from his 5804 in 181 ODIs and 298 in 18 T20Is.

Preston Mommsen (Retired from all forms of cricket)One of the biggest names in Associate cricket, Preston Mommsen decided to quit cricket at the age of 29 to pursue a role in the the corporate world. "After much thought and reflection, I have taken the decision to step down as the captain of Scotland and not renew my contract with Cricket Scotland, in order to pursue a very exciting and attractive opportunity in the corporate world," he revealed.

While lack of opportunities was never a concern for the former Scotland captain, it was lack of international fixtures that pushed him towards taking this decision. He was very vocal about the Associate problems in the ICC World T20 in India.

Mommsen played 42 ODIs and 24 T20Is scoring 1520 runs across formats.

James Taylor (Retired from all forms of cricket)One of the most unfortunate retirements in 2016, James Taylor was forced to retire from all forms of cricket after developing a serious heart condition. The 26-year-old developed a condition called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and causes ventricular arrhythmias.

"It is both shocking and saddening to hear that James' career has been cut short in such a sudden and unexpected manner," was Andrew Strauss's reaction as the cricketing fraternity tried to come to terms with the news.

He played seven Tests and 27 ODIs and represented England in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.