Cricket isn’t a cheap sport, and many struggle to afford the cost of training and equipment. Hence, there have been many cricketers who have held odd jobs before finding fame in the cricket field.
Before fame and success permanently altered their lives, these athletes had distinct experiences, ranging from working conventional jobs to pursuing entirely new careers. Players have done many menial and even well-paying jobs to support their hopes and choice of playing cricket full-time. Today we see the five odd jobs that cricketers held before they found fame.
Here are 5 cricketers and the surprising jobs they held before fame:
5. Shamar Joseph—Bodyguard
Shamar Joseph received his first Test cap for the West Indies against Australia. On the opening day of his Test debut, the fast bowler made an immediate impression by taking out Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Joseph is from the little Guyana town of Baracara. Growing up, he didn’t have access to a phone or the internet, and in order to support his large family, he had to work as a bodyguard. Joseph left his bodyguard job to devote all of his attention to cricket after discovering that he possessed true speed as a fast bowler. He has now played international cricket for the West Indies and even appeared in the Indian Premier League as well.
4. Nathan Lyon—Groundskeeper
Nathan Lyon is a part of an elusive club of bowlers who have taken a wicket on the very first ball they bowled in Test cricket. Lyon achieved that feat on his debut for Australia against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2011, and he dismissed Kumar Sangakkara. Since his debut, Lyon has gone on to greatness as an off-spinner, taking 573 wickets in 144 Tests with the best bowling performance of 8/50.
Interestingly, Lyon has an Australian Apprenticeship in Horticulture (Turf) at Historic Manuka Oval and worked as ground staff at the Adelaide Oval, joining the ground staff team in 2010. He moved up the ranks to assistant curator at the Adelaide Oval before earning his maiden call-up to the Australia team.
3. Varun Chakaravarthy—Architect
Varun Chakaravarthy was part of the Indian team that won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026. He made his India debut in 2021 but made a comeback to the team in 2024 and has become a permanent part of the T20I team. The 35-year-old has 75 wickets in 49 T20Is and 10 wickets in 4 ODI games so far. He also has 111 wickets in 95 games in the IPL, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Varun Chakaravarthy began his professional life as an assistant architect after college, earning between ₹14,000 and ₹18,000 per month. He holds a B.Arch degree from SRM Institute of Science and Technology.
2. WG Grace—Doctor
Probably the first superstar of the cricket world was England’s William Gilbert Grace, or WG Grace. He had a lengthy cricketing career that started in 1865 and continued till 1908. He also played 22 Tests, scoring 1098 runs with 2 centuries and 5 fifties. He made 54211 runs and took 2809 wickets in 870 FC matches during his career.
Grace was a registered medical practitioner, having graduated from Bristol Medical School. His medical career was a start-and-stop owing to his cricketing commitments. However, his medical career gave him domestic security and stability and the means to enjoy his sport.
1. MS Dhoni—Ticket check-in at Indian Railways
One of the most famous cricketers to play for India, MS Dhoni remains its greatest captain. MS Dhoni won all three white-ball trophies—the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. India also became the No. 1 side in tests for the first time in MS Dhoni’s captaincy, and the keeper-batter from Jharkhand had a storied career. He made 4876 runs in 90 Tests, 10773 runs in 350 ODIs, and 1617 runs in 98 T20Is, with a total of 16 centuries. He also captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to five IPL titles.
MS Dhoni did his schooling at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir in Ranchi and, from 2001 to 2003, worked as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur under the South Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways. As shown in his biographical movie, Dhoni was unhappy with his job as a TTE and wanted to pursue cricket full-time, so he left the job to become a legend in the field of cricket.
