5 Weird celebrations by cricketers you probably missed

Entertainment- It’s one of the reasons behind the popularity of cricket. Players entertain with their brushed-up skills and keep the audience glued to the edge of their seats, more so after the inception of the T20 format. It’s also a sport where bowlers get few chances to show their glee.

Subsequently, they turn innovative in their celebrations, showing how much the moment means to them. From Imran Tahir’s marathon-running, Sheldon Cottrell’s grand salute, Hasan Ali’s bomb-explosion celebration to Ravindra Jadeja’s sword-swing, there have been a number of popular celebrations.

The videos of the same have also gone viral on the social media and even players have spoken about the reasons behind their celebrations. However, a few of those have somehow managed to go unnoticed.

In the article, let’s take a look at five weird celebrations one may not be aware of: –  

1. Mushfiqur Rahim- The Dragon   

Mushfiqur Rahim is currently Bangladesh’s all-time leading run-scorer in Tests. The 32-year-old accomplished the feat in the Tigers’ last match against Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Rahim scored an unbeaten 203 and then broke into celebrations.

Immediately after he cut Ainsley Ndlovu through point, he threw his hands and looked at the heavens, taking off his helmet. Then he posed like a dragon to express his ecstasy. Later, the Bogra-born said that the special celebration was for his son, who is fond of dragons.

The double century was also Mushfiqur’s third in Test cricket for Bangladesh after the ones in 2013 and 2018. Mushfiqur has had to face lots of flak for his ‘Naagin Dance’ celebrations, but the fact that he has been a gun batter can’t be denied.

2. Tabraiz Shamsi’s Satan mask

Tabraiz Shamsi haven’t made a whole lot of name for South Africa with his chinaman bowling. But the Proteas bowler has grabbed the limelight with his unique celebration. In 2018, he churned out a way of celebrating a dismissal, pulling out a mask similar to a Satan.

The 30-year-old left-armer used it while playing for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the CPL and also for the Paarl Rocks in the MSL. To his dismay, it didn’t go down well with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The apex cricket board banned the celebration in between the MSL 2018 before the match against the Tshwane Spartans. Earlier, the Johannesburg-born Shamsi said that he didn’t wish to be disrespectful to the batsmen. Rather, he said that he was having fun since he reckoned that bowlers were under pressure.

3. Tinashe Panyangara turns ‘Big Mouth Billy Bash’

In the 2015 World Cup, Zimbabwe’s Tinashe Panyangara put forth a style celebration against South Africa. The fast bowler rattled Hashim Amla’s woodwork and reduced the Proteas to 21 for two in the ninth over.

After the dismissal, the speedster laid on the ground, which was reminiscent of the ‘Big Mouth Billy Bash’, a robotic singing fish, which was invented in 1998 and marketed from 1999. It turns its heads towards a person, wagging its tail and then sings songs. The fish is made of latex rubber with a plastic skeleton inside it.

As far as Panyangara was concerned, he was taken to the cleaners in the latter half of the innings. He bowled a couple of maidens, but conceded 73 runs in his allotted 10 overs. Zimbabwe ended up losing the game at the Seddon Park in Hamilton by 62 runs.

4. Qais Ahmad’s front flip

Qais Ahmad is a part of Afghanistan’s rich bunch of leg-spinners. The Young Turk has broken into the national team, but hasn’t played for them regularly owing to the presence of the more-established Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

The 19-year-old has managed to grab some eyeballs with his celebrations though. The tweaker showed some of it in the 2018 CPL, playing for St Lucia Stars. In a game against Barbados Tridents, after picking a wicket, the youngster ran a bit and then flipped himself, acrobatically.

Ahmad stumbled a bit while landing, but got away from any injury. Even in the 2019-20 edition of the BBL, Qais displayed the same, representing the Hobart Hurricanes. The Nangarhar-born talent has played only a solitary Test and T20I and has picked up four wickets.

5. Andre Russell’s push-ups

Andre Russell is a marauder and he doesn’t have the word mercy in his dictionary when he’s on the cricket field. The 31-year-old picks the bones out of deliveries and smashes sixes with sheer authority. With 291 wickets under his belt, Russell hasn’t flattered to deceive with the leather either.

Dre-Russ is a feared across the cricket globe owing to the damage he can inflict within a split second. Apart from his all-round prowess, Russell also knows how to entertain with his celebrations. The West Indies all-rounder gave a glimpse of it in the CPL, plying his trade for the Jamaica Tallawahs.

After getting a wicket against St Lucia Stars, he raised his hands up and then resorted to a single push-up. Interestingly after the first one, he threw himself up in the air with the help of a jerk.