17 Most Controversial moments in Cricket History

17 Most Controversial moments in Cricket History: There is of course the ugly side of Cricket, which no-one wants to see. Despite being known as the ‘gentlemen’s game’, cricket is not without its fair share of controversies. They go hand in hand with the game as there have been innumerable instances which have left the cricket fans and experts in shock and surprise. Controversies also lend a dimension of excitement and make for media sensations. But some of them also marred the beauty of the subtle game of cricket. We take a look at 17 Most Controversial moments in Cricket History: (Please note that the order is not chronological) 1. The Monkey gate (source) The second Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground between India and Australia in 2008 is infamous for the altercation between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds. Bhajji was charged with racial abuse for calling Symonds a monkey owing to his non-white background. The Indian offie was banned for three matches, a move that was later overturned after India appealed in the ICC. The incident though soured the relationship between India and Australia to a great extent and left a bad taste amongst the players. Also Read – 14 Shameful incidents that disgraced the game of cricket 2. The Sydney Riot of 1879 (source) The Sydney Riot of 1879 was a civil disorder that occurred at an early international cricket match in Sydney, Australia. The riot was sparked by a controversial umpiring decision, when star Australian batsman Billy Murdoch was given out by George Coulthard, a Victorian employed by the Englishmen. The dismissal caused uproar among the spectators, many of whom surged onto the pitch and assaulted Coulthard and some English players. 3. South Africa suffer rain heartbreak (© Patrick Eagar/Patrick Eagar via Getty Images) South Africa’s World Cup debut ended in farce when they were knocked out at the semi-final stage of the 1992 World Cup after a rain delay late in the game against England. The Proteas needed a difficult but achievable 22 from 13 balls with four wickets in hand when the rain came. When the raingods relebted the ICC’s ‘highest overs scoring’ rule calculated a revised target of 22 from one ball to leave the South Africans fuming. 4. Strauss’s time-wasting tactics Andrew Strauss. (© Getty Images) This is an incident from the 2009 Ashes. With tail-enders Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar at the crease and needing to cling on, England were accused of deliberate time-wasting by Australian captain Ricky Ponting when opposite number Andrew Strauss twice sent 12th man Bilal Shafayat out into the middle. Strauss defended his decision. “There was a lot of confusion,” he explained. “We firstly sent the 12th man out to let Jimmy and Monty know there was time left and not just the overs. Then the drinks spilt on his glove and Jimmy called up to the dressing room and we weren’t sure whether we needed the 12th man or the physio – so we sent both out.” We want to believe you, Andrew. We really do… 5. Leg Theory vs. Bodyline (source) England called it “leg theory”; Australia called it “Bodyline”. Whoever you side with, it is easily the most controversial tactic in Ashes, if not cricket, history. Designed specifically to combat the threat of Australian batting genius Don Bradman, the leg theory involved the ball being bowled towards the body of the batsman in line with the leg stump. That strategy knocked many of the Australian batters unconscious and left the others severely bruised. It was criticized by cricket experts round the world for being contrary to the spirit of the game. It was not long before the rules were rewritten to limit the amount of fielders allowed behind square leg – effectively eliminating leg theory bowling for the good of the game. 6. 1996 World Cup – Sri Lanka matches forfeited (source) Australia and West Indies opted to forfeit their group games against Sri Lanka in the island nation due to security fears following the Central Bank bombing by the Tamil Tigers earlier that year. Sri Lanka were awarded the points from both games and after topping their group went on to beat Australia by seven wickets in the final in Lahore. 7. 2003 – Zimbabwe protest (Photo Source: Reuters) Zimbabwe skipper Andy Flower and Henry Olonga wore black armbands in their side’s opening match of the 2003 WC on home soil in protest of Robert Mugabe’s presidency, later describing the act as ‘mourning the death of democracy in Zimbabwe’. After some political pressure England opted not to play against the Zimbabweans in Harare, citing ‘security fears’ while New Zealand also chose not to travel to Kenya on the same grounds. 8. 2007 – Death of Bob Woolmer (source) The death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer following his side’s defeat to minnows Ireland left a permanent cloud over the staging of the Caribbean’s first World Cup. Woolmer, who played 19 Tests for England, was found dead in his hotel room in Jamaica the day after the match. While local authorities declared they were opening a murder case soon after Woolmer’s death a jury later decided there was insufficient evidence of either a criminal act or natural causes. 9. Spot Fixing Mohammad Amir. (Photo Source: PA Photos) During the fourth test of England vs Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, Pakistan’s already debatable reputation was about to be tarnished once again. Players Asif and Amir both bowled unusually big no-balls, overstepping by around a foot at times. This caught the attention of some officials and after a sting operation by the News of the World newspaper showing agents counting money and predicting no-balls, the two players were caught and found out. Asif and Amir were subsequently banned and jailed for the incident. 10. Harbhajan v Sreesanth This is one of the most ugliest moments in IPL and Indian cricket history. Two former Indian cricketers, Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh, who were playing for Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians respectively were involved in an on-field brawl after an IPL game in 2008. It was Harbhajan who slappped Sreesanth after the latter had extended his hand as a mark of respect after winning the match. Harbhajan was then banned for the remainder of the IPL season. The two later parted their ways. 11. Shahrukh Khan v Wankhede Guards (Photo Source: AFP) It wasn’t good to see Bollywood’s biggest star get into a tiff with the Wankhede stadium guards. During the match between MI and KKR, Shahrukh had taken his children around the stadium after the victory but the guards of the MCA asked the superstar to leave the field. Apparently, the guards were said to be rude to the children and SRK got furious about it, getting involved into a brawl. Shahrukh was also banned from entering the Wankhede Stadium later. 12. No-balling Muralitharan for ‘throwing’ Muttiah Muralitharan. (Photo Source : Associated Press) In 1995, Sri Lankan bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan was suspected so badly by the umpire Darrell Hair that he was given 7 times no ball in three overs of bowling. Later in 1999, Hair was found guilty by the ICC of bringing the game into disgrace after he described Muralitharan’s action as “diabolical”. The consequence of the decision was that Hair received death threats that referenced the ‘throwing’ incident and as a result the ICC decided that he would not officiate any of Sri Lanka’s matches at the 1999 World Cup. 13. When The Eden was anything but a garden India were chasing 251 against Sri Lanka in the semifinal of the 1996 WC at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The hosts were cruising at 98/1 when Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket fell. India crumpled like a pack of cards and fell to 120/8. That’s when the crowd got disgruntled and started throwing bottles and lighting fires. Play was stopped for 15 minutes in the hope that the riot would stop, but it didn’t. The match was eventually handed to Sri Lanka. 14. When Coach Woolmer whispered into his captain’s ear South Africa were playing against India in their opening match in England in 1999 WC. Proteas coach Bob Woolmer, who was known to be unconventional, handed his captain Hansie Cronje a one-way hearing piece which he wore during the match. Ganguly spotted it and the match referee asked Cronje to remove it. It was officially disallowed after the match. 15. The final of the 2007 ODI World Cup Australia Team Celebrates After winning 2007 WC Final. (© GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images) The final of the 2007 ODI WC between Sri Lanka and Australia at Bridgetown had already been reduced to a 38-over contest due to rain. Australia had set a daunting target of 282. There was more delay and the target was reduced to 269 from 36 overs. The lack of floodlights led to the last 3 overs being bowled in almost complete darkness even though there was a reserve day. Sri Lanka could score only 215/8 and the Aussies won the cup by 53 runs. 16. When the DRS needed a review, 2011 (© Getty Images) In the group match against England, in the 2011 ODI WC India asked for a review after Ian Bell was given not out. Replays showed that the ball had pitched in line and was hitting the wickets. After watching it on the big screen, Bell walked off. But he was called back by umpire Billy Bowden as the impact was more than 2.5 meters away from the stumps, which meant the DRS may have faltered and the on-field umpire had to take the final call. Bell made 52 more runs. The match ended in a dramatic tie. 17. The no-ball that saved Rohit Sharma and India India were struggling in the World Cup quarter-final against Bangladesh in 2015. Reeling at 115/3 after 28 overs, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina were restoring some stability to the batting, when Sharma was caught at deep mid-wicket. But umpire Aleem Dar ruled it as a no-ball even as replays showed that it was a legitimate waist-high delivery. Rohit went on to score 137 runs and India went on to win by 109 runs. Also Read – 10 Shameful Aspects in the Gentleman’s Game, Cricket