The World Test Championship recently ended with New Zealand emerging as the winner. It was a high-quality game with sportsman’s spirit at an all-time high. And in any case, the Kiwis boys have always been well-behaved and carried themselves with dignity.
However, there have been a few bad boys of cricket who have faced the repercussions of their actions, and have been slapped with fines, and bans. So, who are the possible nominees of the World Bad Behaviour Championship, and the winner who would walk away with this trophy? Cricwizz takes a look.
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
The Bangladesh all-rounder was recently in news for his poor behaviour during a match in Dhaka Premier League. He had charged verbally at the umpire after an appeal was turned down. Later, Shakib threw down the wickets in anger to protest the umpire’s decision. He was banned for 3 matches and even fined.
But this wasn’t the first time Shakib has let his temper takes over him. In the 2018 Nidahas Trophy game against Sri Lanka, Shakib, who was the Bangladesh captain then, called his players off to protest a denied no ball, while letting his frustration visible from the boundary. Later in 2019, he was banned for 2 years for not reporting an approach from a bookie.
Marlon Samuels (West Indies)
The West Indian cricketer is known for his twin fifties in two World T20 finals that won his country two trophies. But he is also infamous for his spat with Australian legend Shane Warne during a 2013 Big Bash League game. Later, both consistently exchanged a war of words on social media. Again, in 2016, Samuels took a dig at Warne after winning the man of the final award. Later, Samuels went ahead and showed his arrogance in the post-match press conference, putting his legs over the table while talking to the media, and it didn’t go well with critics.
Shane Warne (Australia)
Apart from his ugly exchange with West Indian Marlon Samuels both on and off the field, Shane Warne has had a history of being the ‘bad boy’ of cricket, both professionally and personally. He was once fined along with Mark Waugh for failing to report an approach from a bookie. He was banned from the 2003 World Cup for failing a drug Test. Personally, he was in the news for his various affairs and many girlfriends.
Harbhajan Singh (India)
The ‘Turbanator’ had settled into married life now, but he was quite a passionate and aggressive cricketer during his young days. In fact, he was easily the ‘bad boy’ of cricket during his initial days. He slapped S Sreesanth in the first edition of IPL in 2008, and was banned from further participation in the tournament, and was also handed a five-ODI ban. Earlier that year, Bhajji was involved in another controversy after he reportedly racially abused Andrew Symonds during the tour of Australia. He was initially banned for three Tests, but it was later revoked as the racial charge could not be proved. However, he was fined 50% of his match fee for using abusive language.
Verdict: It is a close call. But Shakib Al Hasan takes the trophy as he has not learnt his lessons despite numerous fines and bans.
Cover Credits: Crickettimes
