Several ICC tournaments, high-profile bilaterals, numerous franchise leagues – a lot of cricket was played around the world in 2023. Here are the top 10 cricket controversies of the last year, along with other notable mentions.
Virat Kohli v Naveen-ul-Haq v Gautam Gambhir
Kohli and Naveen were involved in an infamous war of words during the IPL 2023 match between LSG and RCB, which also involved Gautam Gambhir, who was LSG’s mentor at the time. Things took a turn for the worse after the match, escalating to cryptic social media posts and crowd chants against Naveen. The fallout affected the World Cup later that year.
CSK wasting time to get Pathirana to bowl
Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni had an altercation with the on-field umpire during the match against Gujarat Titans after he banned Matisha Pathirana from bowling as she had not played for a while . CSK were able to waste enough time by claiming that Pathirana’s time away from the field was made up and he was finally allowed to bowl without any sanction from the fielders.
Mitchell Starc’s Ashes non-catch
Starc caught Ben Duckett’s top-edge pull in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, but then slid across the pitch and the ball hit the grass. Buthe claimed the catch before it was overruled by the television umpire, forcing the MCC to intervene to explain the umpire’s decision.
Jonny Bairstow Ashes stumping
Rose Tow was overwhelmed by Alex Carey against Rose after he thought the ball was dead and wandered outside the goal area. This incident has sparked endless ‘Spirit of Cricket’ debates over and over and could become the cricket controversy of 2023.
Lord’s Long room – MCC vs Australia
Shortly after Bairstow’s fall, Australian players were harassed and insulted by MCC members in the prestigious Long Room at Lord’s, leading to several suspensions.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s stump smash
Kaur was involved in an ugly incident in the ODI against Bangladesh where he smashed the stumps with the bat after being given a pound. Although she seemed to claim that the ball hit her own pad, the slip fielder may also have been unaware that she caught the ball after it left her pad. She received a two-game suspension.
Late addition of reserve day for India-Pakistan Asia Cup match
An extra day was added to the match between IND and PAK Super Fours in the middle of the Asian Cup as the group stage match was canceled due to rain. No reserve dates were set for matches other than the final, which led tocriticism from several quarters.
Angelo Mathews timed out
Matthews became the first batsman in the history of international cricket to take a time-out due to a broken helmet during the 2023 World Cup SL vs BAN match. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan did not withdraw his appeal, which divided opinion in the cricket world. Interestingly, it was Matthews who dismissed Shakib in his second innings of that match.
World Cup pitch swap
Before the World Cup semi-finals, there were reports that the field of play had been changed from the original plan at the request of the Indian team. Concerns in this regard were raised with the ICC Pitch Advisor before the ICC issued a statement stating that changes in pitch allocation were normal for tournaments of this length.
Usman Khawaja’s “All lives are equal” message
Khawaja wore shoes with the words ‘All lives are equal’ and ‘Freedom for all’ written on them, which led to the ICC’s decision to He warned that if he wore the shoes, he would be punished. Khawaja responded by writing down his daughters’ names and wearing black armbands, but was reprimanded for doing so.
Dishonourable mentions
- Tamim Iqbal-Shakib Al Hasan public spat over captaincy
- Sri Lanka Cricket banned by the ICC for government interference
- Salman Butt appointed and removed from PAK selection committee in a day
- Temba Bavuma playing the World Cup semi-final despite not being fully fit
- Mitchell Johnson’s public war of words against David Warner
- World Cup schedule and ticketing fiasco
- Australia refusing to play Afghanistan
- Mitchell Marsh posing with feet on World Cup trophy
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