However, there have been many instances when the cricketers have brought damped the image of the sport. The behaviours of a few cricketers have put a bad image in front of the whole world.
Let us take a look at the 15 shameful events in the history of cricket:
15. England cricketers urinating on the cricket field
In yet another case of a celebration gone wild, England cricketers were spotted urinating on The Oval pitch after their 3-0 Ashes series win against Australia. The players reportedly urinated on the pitch to celebrate their third successive win over their bitter rivals.
Several England players including Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson took turns to urinate on The Oval pitch to the cheers of their teammates around 11:30 pm. Disrespecting the wicket which has given so many things is certainly one of the shameful acts in the history of cricket.
14. Monkeygate Saga
Away from the glare of what was turning out to be a fascinating Test much between India and Australia, one of the most infamous episodes in the game took the centre stage on a bright Sydney afternoon on day three.
Harbhajan Singh was batting well and had just scored a fifty when Brett Lee aimed a bouncer at the Indian off-spinner, but he was upto the task, cutting the ball over slips for a boundary. The Turbanator said “hard luck” and applauded the bowler’s efforts by patting his bat.
All-rounder Andrew Symonds was having none of it. He has a word with Harbhajan and chaos descends. The Australians seemed convinced that the Indian cricketer had taunted Symonds with the word “monkey”, a racially offensive insult. The match-referee pressed a three-match ban on Harbhajan but later demoted it to only using abusive language after India threatened to pull out.
13. Bodyline Bowling
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team during the 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was specifically done to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia’s Don Bradman.
A bodyline delivery was one where the cricket ball was bowled at the body of the batsman, in the hope that when he defended himself with his bat, a resulting deflection could be caught by one of several fielders standing close by. Critics considered the tactic intimidating and physically threatening, to the point of being unfair in a gentlemen’s game.
12. The fight between Javed Miandad and Denis Lillee
Dennis Lillee and Javed Miandad were two of cricket’s most high-profile players in the 1980s. These two illustrious characters came up against each other when Pakistan toured Australia in 1981-82, with explosive consequences.
Denis Lillee was giving a tough time to the Pakistan batsmen during that tour. Pakistan lost two early wickets, and skipper Javed Miandad was out in the middle. Miandad turned Lillee behind square for a single, and in completing an easy run, he collided with the bowler. Eyewitnesses agreed that Lillee was to blame and most observed that he had deliberately moved into the batsman’s path. Later on, Miandad lifted his bat above his head as if to strike him before the onfield umpire stopped him.
11. Suraj Randiv deliberately bowling a no-ball
With Sehwag on 99 not out, the scores even and one delivery left in the match, Randiv bowled a no-ball to prevent the India opener from completing his century. Although Sehwag hit it for a six to win the game, but it was not included to his total because cricket laws count the extra run first.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Cricket suspended Randiv and also levied fine on him for his actions which is a shame to the gentlemen’s game.
10. Underarm bowling
On February 1, 1981, Australia played New Zealand in a one-day international cricket match in the final of the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup in front of jam-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Trevor Chappell bowled the last ball underarm along the ground to New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie. These instructions came from his elder brother and Australian captain, Greg Chappell. With the Black Caps needing a six from the last ball to tie the match, Greg Chappell decided to order the underarm delivery to deny New Zealand any chance of tying the game, let alone winning.