Bad Boys in Cricket
Unlike other sports where players can do whatever they want on their off-days, a cricketer has to maintain a certain charisma, a façade that goes with the ‘gentleman’s’ game, as cricket is generally known as. However gone are the days when men in whites were the most well-mannered people on the planet, and they have been taken over by those who are not only the worst ambassadors for their country but also the most unbelievable creations of God. A look at the top three such ‘Unusuals’ will show how different these characters are from each other, and their on field persona!
Andre Nel
On number 3 we have the third most ill mannered of all cricketers, South Africa’s Andre Nel. The fast bowler has been involved in the many controversies both on and off the field, and although he began his career as a gentle giant, ended it a couple of years back as anything but gentle. Nel hit the headlines in 2001, not for his wicket taking ability but due to his ability as a batsman with a bouncer. The batsman was fellow countryman Allan Donald in the domestic match, and Nel was the bowler, who burst into tears after bowling that bouncer.
Those who thought he had a heart were made to think again when Andre was fined for making offensive facial gestures to Chris Gayle in 2004, an offence for which he was subsequently fined half of his match fee. Even that didn’t stop him from staring at the batsmen on his follow through or using his height to make the batsmen feel tiny. His verbal volleys might have seemed aggressive to some but pundits believed that he went overboard with that at times. He was often termed as the most erratic of players but after you read about the number 2 on our list, you‘ll see there were even worse characters than him in cricket.
Sreesanth
Next on the list is someone who brought Andre Nel to shame! Indian pacer Sreesanth has been in news for his psychotic behaviour, which came to the fore during India's First Test on their 2006 tour of South Africa. Sreesanth evaded a delivery from Andre Nel who gestured to his heart, indicating that the batsman lacked the courage to play him. Had there been a normal batsman, he would have let Nel talk and not wasted his time in a response. But that’s why Sreesanth is different. The very next ball the late order batsman charged Nel and hit him for a huge six, a shot he celebrated by dancing around the bowler in joy.
Since then Sreesanth has been the bad boy of the game, fined for his over exuberant and emotional behaviour especially during bowling, and precisely while appealing for and celebrating wickets. Not only has he acted like a savage in international matches but also on the domestic circuit where last October, the BCCI and Kerala Cricket Association issued separate warnings to him for indiscipline, announcing that if the bowler failed to improve his conduct on the field, he might be suspended from domestic matches. It might be surprising to many but Sreesanth is a psychology student, something that he needs to remind himself while playing.
Shoaib Malik
He is a perfect example of how a gentleman cricketer should look! He is smart, talks less and gives his 100 percent while bowling, batting or even fielding. But if one is asked to choose the worst bad boy in cricket, Shoaib Malik will be the obvious choice.
A look at the leaked in session video of Pakistan Cricket Board’s inquiry committee proves that no captain wanted to have Shoaib Malik on his side because of his off-field skills. Coach Intikhab Alam and assistant Aaqib Javed confirmed that Malik was the root cause of all infighting and disunity in the side as he motivated them not to perform for the captain, promised them important roles, once he made sure that no player was ready to captain the side and had one aim - to regain captaincy, by hook or by crook. Both Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf blamed him as well for opting out of matches where the opponents were strong or declining to bat in the upper order against better bowlers.
He is also a jinx when it comes to sponsorship. Since the day he became the brand ambassador of Gillette, the three other ambassadors lost their Midas touch. Tennis legend Roger Federer began losing matches, Tiger Woods became enemy number 1 for his extra marital affairs while Thierry Henri famously got France through to the World Cup, by scoring a goal that touched his hand, than his head!
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