The Aussies ball tampering during the third test match against South Africa has again put a spotlight on the sport's history of scandals. Unlike most other organised sporting codes, cricket scandals rarely involve doping allegations. Instead, cricket scandals tend to be split into three categories: match-fixing, flouting of the rules and unsportsmanlike conduct. The following are some of the most prominent cricket scandals in the sport’s history.
Hansie Cronje: match-fixing
Image Source: cricketcountry.com
South African all-rounder Hansie Cronje was accused of fixing his own team’s performance during a series of one-day internationals in 2000 against India. Cronje denied the allegations. However, after tapes of a conversation between Cronje and Sanjay Chawla, a member of an India betting syndicate surfaced, he was banned from the game of cricket for life. In June 2002 Cronje died in a plane crash, a crash that conspiracy theorists have linked to the India betting syndicate the cricketer had taken bribes from.
Harold Larwood: unsportsmanlike conduct
Image Source: telegraph.co.uk
During the 1932/3 Ashes, England adopted a tactic of bowling inside to the Australia batters. The tactic is aggressive pinning the batsman in their crease with the use of physical intimidation. The tactic worked as expected and with fast bowler Harold Larwood acting as the chief intimidator, England won the ashes 4-1. The tactic, however, caused a diplomatic incident with Austrian officials calling it unsportsmanlike. The incident would cut short Larwood’s career and he would never play another test for England.
Mohammad Asif & Mohammad Amir: match-fixing
In August 2010 Pakistan fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were found to have deliberately bowled no-balls during a test against England at Lord’s. The bowlers and the team’s captain Salman Butt admitted to working with a bookmaker and were sentenced to prison time in England. All three players also received a five-year ban from the ICC.
Pakistan forfeit: rule-flouting
One of the most infamous examples of “ball tampering” happened during a 2006 test between England and Pakistan. During the test, Umpires Darrel Hair and Billy Doctrove ruled that Pakistan had tampered with the ball and awarded England 5 penalty runs. The visiting side was furious and refused to take the field after a tea break to protest the ruling. The umpires declared the game forfeit awarding the win to England. After an appeal, the ICC overturned the ball tampering decision and retroactively changed the game’s result to a draw.
The 2018 IPL league starts today with the Sunrisers Hyderabad facing the Rajasthan Royals. Place your bets before the match or bet on the action as it unfolds with our Live betting feature.
And if betting on cricket isn't your thing - try out Betway Casino Games for a chance to win big Jackpots!
