Cricket is a gentleman’s game as claimed by the makers of the game. To acknowledge the fact a set of strict rules are made and a close look is always being made about on-field actions of the player and even the fans are so close to the sport that even if their favourite players harm the essence of the game they go completely against them.
WASIM AKRAM
The legendary Fast bowler that the sport has ever produced faced some off-field issues while being the Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team. During his leadership days, he was accused of being involved in Match-fixing by his teammates particularly Ata-Ur-Rehman and Aamir Sohail. In 1996 when Akram tried to put himself ahead of other teammates in Quarter Final against India the suspicious started over his off-field actions. This again came to the news when Pakistan faced a devastating defeat in the 1999 world cup final.
HANSIE CRONJE
His allegations started during the South Africa tour of India and he was caught while having a conversation with a gamester by Delhi Police. Delhi Police launched a statement publicly which was completely denied by Cronje and the cricket board of South Africa after the statement of Hansie Cronje. Later a commission was set up and He confessed his passion for a leather jacket and hard cash and he was given a life sentence but he died in a plane crash in June 2002.
SHAKIB AL HASAN
One of the top all-rounders and the greatest players for Bangladesh was at the top of his game during the 2019 World Cup with a top-notch form as he was among the top 3 highest scorers of the tournament. But the reputation and form came secondary when ICC announced a 2-year ban for the Bangladesh Captain for being involved with gamblers, disrespecting the game. He was accused of match-fixing during Tri-Series between Sri-Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and also in IPL 2018 match among Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab.
SALMAN BUTT
The Pakistani Left-handed opener faced the allegations during a Test Match at Lord’s where Mohammed Amir overstepped by a mile. ‘News of the World’ exposed the Pakistani players by out showing a videotape in which a bookie named Mazher Majeed is shown advising that the Pakistani bowlers specifically Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif will bowl no-balls at a certain point during the test match. This resulted in a ban for Salman Butt the captain of the Test squad at that time along with the fast bowlers.
STEVEN SMITH
The greatest of all time a class batsman faced a lot of humiliations after his inappropriate actions during the Third test against South Africa. Cameron Bancroft was clearly seen using sandpaper for ball Tampering and was caught by the cameraman. Later in a press conference, Steve Smith along with Vice-Captain David Warner accepted that they used the sandpaper for a better reverse swing. Ban was imposed for a period of one year and nine months whereas a ban of two years for getting the leadership of the team whereas Warner was banned for life to get the leadership.
