Often we have seen popular figures embracing a new path of life by converting to a different religion and are widely influenced by the concept of spirituality and philosophy. In cricket as well, we have come across several celebrated players who changed their religion during their playing days due to varied reasons. In this article, we take a look at 5 cricketers who adopted a different religion.
Suraj Randiv
The lanky Sri Lankan all-rounder Suraj Randiv is infamously remembered for his infamous no-ball to Sehwag where the latter missed out on a well-deserved century because of the intentionally delivered extra. Initially a Muslim, Randiv converted to Buddhism.
Mohammad Yousuf
Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf was only the 4th Christian to play for Pakistan until his conversion to Islam. Initially known as Yousuf Youhana, the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2007, he holds the record for scoring the highest number of runs in red-ball cricket in a single calendar year.
Tillakaratne Dilshan
The inventor of Dil-scoop, Tillakaratne Dilshan is one of the greatest limited-overs openers for Sri Lanka. Known for his unconventional strokes and all-round capabilities on the field, he started his career as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan. Born to a Buddhist mother and Muslim father, Dilshan converted to Buddhism after the separation of his parents.
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Mahmudul Hasan
A promising prodigy in U-19 cricket, Hasan featured for Bangladesh in Tests for a brief stint but could make it big. He converted to Hinduism and is now known as Vikash Ranjan Das. Surprisingly, he never got a chance to represent his national side after converting his religion.
Wayne Parnell
The Proteas all-rounder announced back in July 2011, about his decision to convert to Islam. Rumors broke out that fellow team-mates Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir, and team manager Mohammad Moosajee had a role behind this. However, Parnell denied all claims. He even added Waleed(‘Newborn Son’) to his name but continued to be called Wayne thereafter.
