Cricket Captains Controversy
The game of cricket is believed to be a gentleman’s game. Cricketers are looked at as role models for the younger generations. There have been numerous instances where the sport has won at all costs. Let us look here at the Cricket Captains Controversy in detail.
Captains who lead the way:
The captains are the ones who generally drive the team in a particular direction. It is the language of the captain that the team chooses to display on the field. Captains like MS Dhoni exuded supreme calmness on the field. It helped the side to play the game in the same manner. On the contrary, a captain like Virat Kohli who was all fire and fury urged his team to play in a similar vein.
Controversial captains:
There have been captains who have led the side controversially. The circumstances and the scenarios might have dictated their style but it all ended on a sour note after a promising beginning. These captains had to be sacked from their job owing to the disrepute they brought to the game.
We look at 3 popular Cricket Captains Controversy:
#3 Steve Smith
He was the biggest thing in Australian cricket post the Ricky Ponting era. Steve Smith was the best Test batsman in the world. His batting numbers compared to Sir Don Bradman. He had everything going for him. Steve Smith was the captain of the Australian team that had found the art of winning again. They played hard, played tough to win at all costs.
The dreaded tour of South Africa:
But the tour to South Africa in 2018 changed everything. It has to go down as one of the most controversial series of all time. In a brazenly fought series, the Aussies were accused of ball tampering. Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on live television. It was later learned that the captain, Smith was in the knowhow of the development. The sandpaper gate scandal caught Smith the job and he was handed a ban of a year.
#2 Mohammad Azharuddin
He is the only Indian skipper to have led the side in 3 World Cups. Mohammad Azharuddin was one of the finest batsmen of his time. He dominated attacks both home and away. Azhar was a brilliant fielder. To top it all he was one of the most celebrated captains in the 90s.
India was virtually unbeaten at home under Azhar’s captaincy. But it all came to a screeching halt when his name appeared in the match-fixing fiasco. Azhar was sacked from captaincy and handed a life ban in 2000.
#1 Hansie Cronje
He was one of the most astute captains in the game. Hansie Cronje-led South Africa was the team to beat in the 90s. They were arguably the toughest team to face across conditions in that decade. South Africa, in fact, was regarded as the favourite to win the 1999 World Cup. It was largely due to Cronje’s tactical nous.
The ugly secret:
Little did anyone know about what was transpiring sideways. Hansie Cronje in his confession shook the cricketing world. He admitted to match-fixing and dealing with bookies. It broke the hearts of cricketing fans across the world. Needless to say, Cricket South Africa sacked Cronje from the job.
