From Chris Gayle’s Sexist Remarks To Faf du Plessis’ Ball Tampering Row: Controversies That Rocked The Game In 2016

Dec 22, 2016 at 3:28 PM

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From Chris Gayle’s Sexist Remarks To Faf du Plessis’ Ball Tampering Row: Controversies That Rocked The Game In 2016

Gone are those days when cricket was synonymous with a gentlemen’s game. The well-mannered players wearing the flannels over the well-tucked shirt made sure to maintain the integrity of the game at any cost. However, the modern players are anything but like their predecessors when it comes to prioritising fair play in the game. The players nowadays wear their hearts on their sleeves and rarely think twice before taking a step that hampers the image of the game.

Over the years, the game’s image has taken a beating as the players have not shied away from creating controversies. Well, 2016 was no different either. From Chris Gayle getting involved in a sexism row to Faf du Plessis’ ball-tempering row, the year had its fair share of controversies and with only a few days left before the new year arrives, we at Sportzwiki have a look at some of the biggest controversies of 2016:

9. Mankad incident in Under-19 World Cup: 

 

The ICC Under-19 World Cup held in Bangladesh was marred by a controversial run-out that helped eventual winners the West Indies to beat Zimbabwe and enter the quarterfinals of the event. With one wicket remaining, Zimbabwe needed three overs from the final over to defeat their fancied opponent. However, the West Indies quick Keemo Paul stirred a huge controversy when he affected a ‘Mankad’. The pacer ran through the bowling crease without entering his delivery stride and then dislodged the bails.

The on-field umpires asked the West Indies players if they wanted to uphold the appeal which they did and consequently, the umpire referred the third umpire. Replays showed the Zimbabwe batsman was short of crease and hence was given out.

The incident was severely condemned by some former and present cricketers:

8. Ben Stokes and Tamim Iqbal altercation:

Ben Stokes argues with Bangladesh’ opener Tamim Iqbal

Emotions were running high in both camps after Bangladesh had levelled the three-match series by winning the second ODI at Mirpur by 34 runs and English all-rounder Ben Stokes lost his cool when he saw Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal shoulder-barging his teammate Jonny Bairstow. Furious with the incident, Stokes pushed Iqbal out of the way before breaking into a heated argument. Shakib-al-Hasan then tried to calm things down.

The English star later took to Twitter to clear he would not tolerate such attitude towards his teammates.

7. World T20 match between India and Pakistan shifted from Dharamsala to Eden Gardens, Kolkata:

Image result for india vs pakistan world t20 2016

The high-voltage clash between the two arch-rivals was scheduled to be held in Dharamsala on March 19. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) asked the ICC for a change of location for the encounter after receiving a report from its three-man delegation that security was not up to the mark at the venue.

The issue arose when Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh warned against hosting the match in the state.

He had said:“Many incidents have taken place in recent past, like Pathankot attack.Soldiers from Himachal lost their lives in J&K. If our war veterans don’t want Indo-Pak match to be held in Dharamsala, Himachal cricket association should accept their condition.”

“They are not opposing holding of matches.They are against Pak team playing in Himachal Pradesh,” he added.

With the situation not looking good, the match was finally shifted to Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

6. Darren Sammy’s explosive comments after winning the World T20:

Image result for Darren sammy's comment after world t20 win

Emotions were running high in the West Indies camp after Carlos Brathwaite hit four sixes in the last over of World T20 final against England to make his team win the trophy for the second time. The players were involved in a tussle with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for quite some time but they put all the problems behind and performed brilliantly to win the title. However, their skipper Darren Sammy could not hold back after winning the final and delivered an emotional speech that was later condemned by the WICB and the ICC.

He had said:“I don’t know when I’ll have these guys in the dressing room.You look at the schedule, I don’t see any T20 schedule for this year because of the system in the Caribbean. We have a tri-series and a [Test] series against India. We are not eligible for selection and so this tournament meant a lot. Not only for me but for the guys. We played for a cause. I really want to commend the men for the way they have just, they put their focus on cricket. And now that the cricket is over, we can deal with all the issues we want to talk about.”

 “The experts or so-called experts, commentators, journalists didn’t give us a chance. One particular journalist said we play with no brains. That particular comment really brought this team together. Before that the contract issues,” he added.

5.Doug Bollinger’s Alleged ‘I am going to kill you’ sledge towards Phillip Hughes:

Image result for doug bollinger,

The inquest into Phillip Hughes’s death caused a huge stir when a witness claimed that Doug Bollinger had said “I am going to kill you” on the field before the former Australia batsman was fatally struck by a short ball from Sean Abbott.

Hughes’ family claimed the batsman was targetted with short balls. However, the claims were quashed by several players including Bollinger, who had said:“I don’t recall saying that. I may have but I don’t think so.”

The players were later cleared from the controversy after the coroner called the death a tragic incident.

4. Chris Gayle involved in sexism row:

Chris Gayle was blasted in January for his live interview with Channel Ten reporter Mel McLaughlin when he asked her out for a drink and then said: 'Don't blush, baby.'

The explosive batsman landed in hot water after flirting with a female journalist, Mel McLaughlin during his stint with Big Bash League outfit Melbourne Renegades.

The West Indies batsman told McLaughlin: “I wanted to see your eyes for the first time, hopefully we can win this game and then we can have a drink after as well”.

Gayle then added: “Don’t blush, baby.”

The comments sparked claims of sexism and the southpaw was severely criticised from all quarters. He was fined 10,000 Australian dollars (USD 7,400) by his team for the behaviour and also had his contract terminated.

3. Faf du Plessis caught in ball tampering row:

Image result for faf du plessis ball tampering

The Proteas star was found guilty of breaking the ICC code of conduct after television footage appeared to show him shining the ball with a mint in his mouth during the second Test against Australia in Hobart in November. He was fined 100 per cent of his match fee and also received three demerit points for the offence. However, he did not accept the charges and decided to appeal against the verdict but lost it.

2. Mushfiqur Rahim’s smiling selfie after India lost in the World T20 semifinal:

 

Mushfiqur Rahim

The Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman courted a huge controversy in April when he decided to express his delight over India’s seven-wicket loss to West Indies in the ICC World T20 semi-final. Rahim, who could not score two runs off three final deliveries during his team’s one-run defeat to India earlier in that tournament, took to Twitter to express his feelings as he posted a picture of him watching Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s post-match press conference. As expected, he was slammed by the fans for his ungentlemanly behaviour and he soon deleted it from his account. Rahim later posted an apology for his behaviour.

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s morphed picture:

The Bangladeshi fans crossed the limit when their team qualified for the Asia Cup finals where they were set to meet India. One of the fans had morphed a picture of fast-bowler Taskin Ahmed holding a chopped head of Dhoni. Well, the Indian skipper had the last laugh as his 20 runs off only six balls helped his team clinch the Asia Cup in style.

 

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