5 Secrets in cricket that are never going to be disclosed

Cricket is a game full of mysteries and secrets without a doubt. A bowler coming up with a fresh new variation is deemed as a kind of mystery, which takes some time to unravel. It takes hours of hard work and loads of study to delve deep into the road to solving the riddles.

Even off the field, the game has been a witness to a few incidents over the years that has been tough to read into. Criminal activities in cricket isn’t something uncommon and it has threatened to tarnish the reputation of the game, once and for all.

In some cases, it’s been an arduous task to draw a conclusion, and some secrets may never come to the fore. There are also some historic beliefs and facts that has been associated to cricket and something which might not be revealed ever.

In the article, let’s take a look at five secrets in cricket that may never be known:

1. Hansie Cronje’s mysterious murder

Hansie Cronje, the tainted South African cricketer, passed away on June 1, 2002 in a plane crash. He along with two pilots lost their lives in mountains near his estate in George, a small town on South Africa’s Garden Route.

Earlier, the Protea missed a flight and arranged a lift in a cargo plane. However, chief executive of AirQuarius, the owners of the crashed plane, had a bit of suspicion. As per him, the plane had been travelling through the same route in worser conditions without a hint of trouble.

There were also rumours that the ground landing system at George Airport had been tampered with.  A source also revealed that ‘a lot of people wanted Cronje dead’. Earlier, his career was marred with match-fixing scandals after he claimed to have accepted $130,000 from bookies.

2. IPL 2013 fixing envelope

Back in 2013, the police arrested three cricketers, S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, who played for Rajasthan Royals, on charges of spot-fixing. 11 other bookies were also sent behind the bars. Gurunath Meiyappan, the Chennai Super Kings’ team principal, was also alleged to have placed bets and shared information.

The police then arrested BCCI chief N Srinivasan’s son-in-law. In May 2013, Meiyappan was arrested as well. Raj Kundra, the owner of the Royals, was also questioned by the Delhi police. Srinivasan also stepped aside temporarily and Jagmohan Dalmiya took charge. In July 2015, the RM Lodha Committee suspended CSK and RR for two years.

Moreover, the sealed envelop, which consisted the names 13 individuals with charges of sporting fraud against them, was never explained. Only the Supreme Court judges were allowed to read the contents, which were deemed ‘sensitive’.

3. Don Bradman’s broken cross and number of the beast

Don Bradman needed four runs to end his Test career with an average of 100. But he got out on a duck to leg-spinner Eric Hollies, who castled him. He didn’t get a chance to bat in the second innings as Australia beat England by an innings and 49 runs. Bradman ended his journey with an average of 99.94.

But the number has something spooky to reveal if turned upside down and read back to front. It shows a broken cross followed 666- the number of the beast. Moreover, the scoresheet showed ‘Bradman b Hollies’, and it’s an anagram of “I’m born bad as hell”.

The connection has remained to be a mystery. Bradman, who passed away in 2001, notched 6,996 runs in 52 Tests with 29 centuries and 13 half-centuries. In first-class cricket, he got over 28,067 runs from 234 matches. He also met the likes of Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar.

4. Bob Woolmer’s demise in 2007 World Cup

Back in March 17, 2007, Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup after the defeat to Ireland. Exactly, a day later, head coach Bob Woolmer’s dead body was found. His body was found in a tiled bathroom of a hotel in Jamaica. He was lying naked on his back with blood in his mouth and vomit on the walls.

He was assumed to have died of heart attack and reports of suicide also did the rounds for a while. Later, skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, assistant coach Mushtaq Ahmed and team manager Talat Ali were questioned over ‘ambiguities’ in their statements.

Reports of Woolmer’s scuffle in the team bus after the defeat to the Irish team also made headlines. Apparent blunders also seemed to play spoilsport to the case. Later Bob’s widow, Gill, rubbished the rumours of his husband’s murder.

5. Lord’s slope

The Lord’s Cricket Ground in London is one of the most iconic stadiums around the world. It has hosted a number of World Cup finals, including the one back in July 2019. But, the ground has a peculiar aspect etched it. The pitch slopes from the Warner Stand in the north-west to the Mound Stand in the south-east.

It’s sharp enough to deviate the path of the ball when it is bowled. Authorities at the venue say that it’s a traditional aspect of the ground and must never be altered. But rumours say that the slope at Lord’s is a part of ancient symbols.

If one takes a map and draw a straight line from the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland through to Loch Ness in Scotland to the Lord’s Cricket Ground, and back to Giant’s Causeway, it forms a triangle that points to a village in Rome.