Controversial actions of players in Cricket History

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) is taking its last breathes and the ICC Twenty20 World Cup less than a month away, we take a look back at some of the controversial actions of the players in cricket history.

1. Infamous Underarm bowling incident of 1981

On 1 February 1981, when a New Zealander batsman, Brian Mackenzie, needed to score a six from the last ball to win a One Day International match against Australia in Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian captain instructed his bowler, Trevor Chappell, to deliver the last ball underarm, along the ground. This action was technically legal, but seen as being unsporting. As a direct result of the incident, underarm bowling was banned in limited overs cricket by the International Cricket Council as "not within the spirit of the game”.

2. Ball Tampering by Shahid Afridi

On 31 January 2010, Pakistani All Rounder Shahid Afridi was caught on camera biting vigorously into the ball towards the end of the One Day International series in Australia, at the WACA Ground. He was immediately called by the match referee after the match was over. In his defence, he told a pakistani TV channel that he was trying to "Smell the ball", however later Afridi pleaded guilty to ball tampering and he was banned from two Twenty20 internationals. This incident was widely reported in media as the Bitegate incident.

3. Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds “Monkey” IncidentAndrew Symonds (left) and Harbhajan Singh shortly after exchanging word "blows" in 4th day of the Second Test of THREE TEST SERIES.

In January 2008, Indian spin bowler, Harbhajan Singh, received a three-match ban after a complaint that he had racially abused Symonds during the third day of the Second Test at the SCG. It was alleged that Harbhajan called Symonds a "monkey" after Symonds confronted him over touching fellow Australian player Brett Lee. The case was decided by the match referee, Mike Procter, in a hearing held after the match. The BCCI lodged an appeal against the decision. On January 29, 2008, after the hearing of the appeal, at Adelaide by ICC appeals commissioner John Hansen, the racism charge on Harbhajan Singh was not proved and the three Test ban was lifted.