Cricket is one of our subcontinent’s most popular sports. It is a game in which two teams of eleven players compete against each other. It is often called the gentleman’s game. However, as we all know, corruption exists everywhere, so cricket is not spared from that. There is also a dirty side to this gentleman’s game.
As a result, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned or suspended numerous cricketers on the basis of different reasons. There must be some reasons why a lot of cricketers have been banned or suspended; some have been banned for bribery, others for match-fixing and others for abusing the anti-doping policy. It may seem impossible, but even the most seasoned cricketers are not immune to such suspensions.
But there are times when we just can’t understand why some of cricket’s most well-known players are banned or suspended. It has an impact not only on us but also on the psyche of our athletes who represent their country.
No cricketer likes to be left behind on the field while their colleagues battle it out. It has to be one of the worst experiences a professional athlete can experience. As a result, it must be extremely aggravating if the suspension is for an unusual reason.
Some of these appear to be fair, while others do not. But they are all odd, we can all agree on that. Here are a few instances of what I’m talking about:
1. Kapil Dev was once suspended for attempting to score too quickly
As weird as it may sound, reports indicate that this is entirely correct. Kapil Dev was forced to miss a match by the management during the 1984-85 season after attempting to score too quickly and being disqualified. India lost the match, and Kapil was instructed to sit out as a ‘punishment’ for his irresponsibility.
In his memoirs, he stated that he was not permitted to participate because an “obscure point about discipline” needed to be conveyed.
2. Andrew Symonds was suspended for a month in 2008 after failing to show up for a team meeting
Symonds went fishing, unaware that a team meeting was due to take place. He had no idea he’d be sent back home for doing the same thing as a punishment. He was given a month to prove he still cared about Australian cricket, and that was the end of it.
3. Ken Barrington, an English cricketer who scored 137 runs in 437 minutes, was dropped from one Test match
It was 1965, and the game was a lot slower back then. As a result, you can imagine how sluggish he was to receive a ‘disciplinary action’ such as a suspension. Barrington, on the other hand, was a serial offender, scoring 256 runs in 11.5 hours against Australia in 1964. Possibly, the selectors may have had enough.
4. Shoaib Akhtar was forced to return to Pakistan after allegedly assaulting one of his teammates, Mohammad Asif, with a bat
Shoaib afterwards attempted to justify himself, revealing that he was truly upset at Shahid Afridi and that Asif was accidentally hit. As you would expect, this didn’t assist his cause.
5. Geoff Boycott was banned from participating during the 1981-82 season after leaving a game against India due to a ‘stomach bug’ and going to play golf
He then emphasised that the physicians had urged him to seek some fresh air and apologised, but no one looked persuaded, and his Test career was effectively over.
6. Ravindra Jadeja received a one-match suspension in 2017 after receiving demerit points for throwing the ball at a player and rushing in the centre of the pitch, causing damage
Even though two things happened in different matches, Jadeja was instructed to sit out for one whole match.
7. Kagiso Rabada was pulled out of a match by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to ‘excessive celebration,’ according to the regulations
Many cricketers, including Brett Lee and Michael Vaughan, blasted at the decision, and even the general public supported Rabada during this event.
Is this worthy of a ban?
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada will miss 4th Test after his celebration yesterday.
Maybe a tad harsh?
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— Marathonbet (@marathonbet) January 17, 2020