9 Most infamous brawls between cricketers and fans

9 Most infamous brawls between cricketers and fans: Experts, brands, media and governing bodies on one side, but it is the fans who have made cricket what it is today. Their unconditional cheering, the flamboyant and ever continuing enthusiasm inspire the cricketers to give their best on the field. Even the biggest superstars acknowledge their worth and they are the actual custodians of the game. But sometimes this love and affection takes an ugly shape when players are not performing to expectations (or sometimes too high). What results is ugly altercations which tarnish the sport’s image world over and do no good to the player’s integrity. Here we list the 9 Most infamous brawls between cricketers and fans: 1. Mr. Potato – Inzamam-ul-Haq: Who can forget the famous hilarious incident involving Inzamam-ul-Haq during the second game of the Sahara Cup in 1997. Pakistan had been shot out for 116 and India were going steady at 45-1 in the 16th over. Inzamam, who was stationed at the boundary, lost it when one of the fan started comparing Inzamam to several kinds of potato over a megaphone. Pakistan newspaper The Dawn later reported that eyewitnesses said the supporters barracked whatever Inzamam did. “O mote, sidha khara ho [O fatso, stand straight], mota aaloo, sada alloo [fat potato, rotten potato].” The match was disrupted for over 40 mins after Inzy jumped into the stands, swinging his bat wildly at the abusing fan. A mini-riot followed and had the security officials not intervened, the spectator came close to be transformed into a “masla hua alloo” (mashed potato) himself! Also Read – Top 10 Greatest Sledging Incidents in Cricket History 2. WACA WACA: A drunk Australian fan David James Fraser found himself in hot water when he ran onto the field and tackled Pakistan’s Khalid Latif during the 5th ODI between Australia and Pakistan at the WACA. He was later detained by the security forces. Fraser was fined a whopping sum of $9000 and banned for life from the ground. He pleaded guilty to the incident saying that a mate had dared him to run on the field. A second pitch invasion had occurred earlier in the game when about 25 fans had to be ejected from the ground. 3. Symonds knocked the streaker down: From the Monkeygate episode to his late for meeting antics, Andrew Symonds’ cricket career was constantly riddled with controversies. During the second final of the 2007-2008 Commonwealth Bank Series against India, Symonds showed just why he had considered a career in rugby once. While the 10th over was in progress, the game was stalled for a while when a male streaker ran on the field dodging security guards and players. He ran towards Symonds at the non-strikers and paid the penalty. The allrounder angrily and with some force shouldered he naked man effectively tackling him to the ground. Thankfully for Symonds, the man did not press assault charges and was removed from the ground. Australia may have lost the game by 9 runs, but Symonds made sure that at least one set of balls didn’t go past him. 4. Shakib’s attitude troubles: (source) Shakib-Al-Hasan’s name is synonymous with storms and altercations with his home board the BCB. When a group of spectators allegedly teased Shakib’s wife in the VIP box during the first ODI against India in Mirpur in June 2014, he got involved in an altercation with them. His antics did not go down well with the BCB, who were already fed up with his inability to conduct himself. He was later banned for 6 months from all competitions for displaying ‘severe attitude problem’. 5. Virat Kohli – The angry young man: India’s very own ‘Angry young man’ Virat Kohli is well-known for his brash and bold attitude. Little did he know that during an IPL match in Mumbai against the local heroes, he will be subjected to abuse and taunts from his own countrymen. He faced the crowd’s wrath after effecting a run-out of Ambati Rayudu at a crucial stage in the match. Although technically there was nothing wrong with the dismissal, Kohli was repeatedly jeered by the people who called him a ‘cheat’. He was seen gesturing wildly at the crowd and even abused them back almost getting involved in a scuffle while heading back to dressing room. Ironically, the incident happened on the same day on which Sunil Gavaskar praised Mumbai crowd’s ‘big heart’ in a news column. 6. John Snow manhandled in Sydney: John Snow manhandled in Sydney. (© John Snow manhandled in Sydney During the sixth and final Ashes Test between Australia and England in 1971 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, beer bottles were thrown at England’s pacer John Snow. If that was not enough he was manhandled too by a drunk fan after Australia’s Terry Jenner was forced to retire hurt having accidentally ducked under Snow’s bouncer. England’s skipper Ray Illingworth stormed out of the pitch, only to return seven minutes later after umpires Tom Brooks and Lou Rowan warned Illingworth that the match and the Ashes would be awarded to Australia. 7. Bottles at Shoaib Akhtar: (source) India vs Pakistan is always a blockbuster encounter. But this Kolkata match left more scars and its fair share of disappointments. India, who were set a target of 279 on day three of the Test, were comfortably placed at 143-2. Sachin Tendulkar, who was cheered by a record crowd, flicked one of his pads in typical Tendulkar fashion was rushing back for the third and it looked like he would make it comfortably. There you see, however, a collision with Shoaib Akhtar coupled with substitute fielder Nadeem Khan’s direct hit, found the Master Blaster short. Akhtar had to bear the brunt of the fans’ attack as they started pelting bottles and various other objects when he returned to his usual position at the boundary 8. The Caribbean scuffle: When India failed to reach even the semi-finals after losing all of its Super Eight matches in the 2010 World T20, alcohol seemed like the only rational solution for 6 dashing Indian cricketers. At a pub in Saint Lucia, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla and Rohit Sharma turned up for a drink to unwind after their close defeat to Sri Lanka. Already furious at India’s early exit from the competition some Indian fans did not relish the idea of their favourite cricketers drinking and dancing without a care in the world after their poor performance. Their comments irked Nehra and a scuffle broke out with Zaheer joining in. The pub’s manager had confirmed the incident. 9. Harbhajan Singh – Wrong guy to mess with: Harbhajan Singh’s dubious disciplinary record is no secret. Right from a young age, Bhajji has found himself in hot waters more than once for his brash attitude. It was no surprise when he got into a brawl with a cameraman at the Bangalore International Airport before leaving for the tri-series in Sri Lanka in 2009. He angrily jabbed at a cameraman after the camera had hit him on the head while he was taking his luggage out from a car before entering the airport. Although, he was accused of slapping the photographer, Bhajji denied the incident stating, he merely pushed the guy unknowingly. Also Read – 9 Most famous bilateral trophies in Cricket