9 Sex scandals in cricket history

Cricket which is mainly labelled as a gentleman’s game has throughout its existence witnessed some abhorrent instances whether its on-field or off-field. While events like the match-fixing or ball tampering might sound like the most immoral occurrences of the game, there have been far more off-field atrocities like the sex scandals that have nefariously tormented the game to a detestable level. Such illicit events not only account for the involvement of some subservient class of cricketers but also laments some of the greatest names who have played the game. Whether being found guilty or blameless, the countless sex scandals, in general, have brutally tarnished the gentlemanly image of cricket and have often resulted in the biggest dent especially in a player’s both personal and professional life. Here’s a list of 10 sex scandals that have occurred in the game’s history: 1. Chris Gayle Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: Instagram) With often being termed as the biggest envoy of T20 cricket, there’s no doubt that Chris Gayle is also the biggest envoy of such scandals in the modern-day game. The Jamaican based cricketer is well known for his lavish lifestyle and is a party animal, who fervently likes getting surrounded by a brimming female presence. Not long ago in the 2012 ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka, Chris Gayle was found socializing with three British women in his hotel room wherein the women were labelled as the guests of few West Indies players including him. Another instance when Gayle’s charismatic personality was publicly caught when in a live interview, Gayle had asked out the Australian TV presenter Mel McLaughlin for drinks. Also, in his other interview with journalist Charlotte Edwardes, Gayle was found bragging about his “very, very big bat” and further once had asked a female interviewer if she ever got involved in a threesome. Overall, with the universal boss getting cherished by having females around himself, Gayle was also once accused by a lady staff for flashing his genitals during the 2015 World Cup. 2. Herschelle Gibbs Herschelle Gibbs. (Photo by Prodip Guha/Getty Images) This list without including Herschelle Gibbs would be fairly incomplete, as the cricketer had made some massive revelations through his autobiography – To the Point. The book had extensively described the dirty side of the South African players, along with also recounting the several instances of Gibbs’s own sexual life. However, one of the main revelations through this book was of the infamous instance during the 1999 World Cup against Australia where Gibbs wrote, “I just knew I was going to get a century. Perhaps the girl beside me had inspired me. She worked at the hotel, where I had befriended her. I guess she was my lucky charm — she certainly was when it came to my batting. I just wish her powers had extended to my fielding and the bladdy dropped catch.” Another occurrence where Gibbs has famously revealed was, “Two beds, two cricketers and three w**en. One of them wasn’t all that keen, though; she just lay on the b*d. Which was fine – there was enough for everyone. The other two girls, however, more than made a go of it.” Also further, the cricketer had shared an instance of the 1997-98 Australian tour, wherein his teammates had noticed a str***er and had invited her to join them for an evening. 3. Kevin Pietersen Kevin Pietersen and Vanessa Nimmo. (Photo Source: YouTube) Another name that glorifies this list is the presence of Kevin Pietersen. There’s absolutely no doubt that Pietersen was an outright swagger in England’s gentlemanly dressing room which often used to land him in a fair share of wrangles and quarrels. However, very early in his international career, Pietersen faced an obnoxious ordeal when his foul relationship with Big Brother ‘beauty’ Vanessa Nimmo had ended abruptly. After being dumped by KP, Vanessa had publicly lashed Pietersen in the British media which also involved revealing some intimate details about their one-month relationship. Hence, while claiming her heartbreak, Vanessa said “Kevin was desperate for sex and kept pestering me all day. I certainly wasn’t hit for six by his performance.” 4. Shahid Afridi Shahid Afridi. (Photo Source: Facebook/Shahid Afridi) Over the years, while playing for Pakistan, Shahid Afridi has been known to endure some of the most dreadful controversies in his everlasting career. However, very early in his cricketing days, the all-rounder had found himself being alleged for a sex scandal that also involved two of his other teammates – Hasan Raza & Atiq-Uz-Zaman. The occurrence had taken shape in the year 2000 when just before leaving for the tour in Singapore, the trio of Afridi, Raza and Zaman were caught with a group of young ladies while having entertainment in Karachi. Although the trio had zealously claimed about the ladies being only as fans, the PCB eventually had to suspend them for the later ICC Champions Trophy event in Kenya. Overall, in his statement Shahid Afridi had stated, “I am satisfied that I didn’t commit any mistake but I accept this punishment. It will have a positive effect on my career,”. Further, the all-rounder also insisted that the board has taken this step to make us more cautious in future. 5. Imam-ul-Haq Imam-ul-Haq. (Photo Source: Twitter) While the nepotism accusation had already made a huge buzz in Imam’s international career, the southpaw was then alleged for exploiting several women back in 2019. It was the screenshots of WhatsApp chats that had exponentially revealed Imam’s manipulation which highlighted him collectively dating to 7-8 women. As per the main reports, it was a Twitter user which had exposed the chats on social media especially when the exploited girls had decided to bring Imam’s real face in public. Overall, as per the available chats, Imam was seen flirting with the girls along with asking for some intimate pictures. Further, the cricketer was also seen getting involved in a heated exchange over a breakup. All in all, despite getting highly lamented for the entire incident, Imam never gave an official statement regarding the certain allegations, but with PCB then getting minutely involved, the opening batsman immediately sought an apology for the entire occurring. Also Check: 5 Dark secrets of the IPL we aren't aware of 6. Daryl Tuffey Daryl Tuffey. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) It was in 2005 when New Zealand’s pacer Daryl Tuffey was allegedly filmed on a mobile phone by two British backpackers while having consensual sex with a 23-year old woman sales representative. As per the reports, it is believed that Tuffey had met the British duo while training at the New Zealand Cricket Academy at Lincoln and had started to socialize with them in Christchurch. The two British men were mainly in the country to play second-grade cricket for the Riccarton side and had made several sex videos during their four-month stay. However, Tuffey’s tape was recorded at a Christchurch flat and it only became a big issue when the woman’s new boyfriend had heard about the tape’s existence through external sources. It also believed that when the sex tape had made a huge buzz, the two British backpackers immediately had gone into hiding and the woman involved in the incident had claimed about never meeting Daryl Tuffey. 7. Ian Botham Ian Botham. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Getty Images) While the above cricketers were all been mainly alleged for sex scandals, England’s Sir Ian Botham was massively alleged for cheating on his wife Kathy Botham. As per the reports, an Australian waitress named Kylie Verrells and Ian Botham were seen involved in a two-year affair during which Botham had taken Kylie on romantic holidays around the world, staying under assumed names in five-star hotels. It is also believed that while on a safari in South Africa, Botham had bought a sapphire diamond engagement ring for Kylie and had assured her about him ending his marriage with Kath. The entire revelation of this malicious affair was done by Kylie’s ex-husband where it was after their divorce that Kylie had met Botham in Sydney in 1999. Overall, while Kylie had fully defamed Sir Ian Botham by repeatedly speaking about his broken promises, Kathy Botham in particular had defended her husband against the allegations of adultery. 8. Asad Rauf Asad Rauf and Leena Kapoor. (Photo Source: YouTube) Asad Rauf, who was once a part of ICC’s elite panel of umpires, perhaps had found himself in a treacherous occurrence in 2012, when a 21-year old Indian model Leena Kapoor had alleged him for an affair. This scandalous occurrence had first made developments when Leena Kapoor had opened up about the sexual exploitation and the marriage promise made by Asad Rauf. Leena Kapoor had claimed that they were in an intimate relationship where Asad Rauf had sexually exploited her on the pretext of getting married. Further, Leena also disclosed, “He convinced me that because his religion allowed more than one marriage, he could marry me. He kept saying his family wouldn’t have a problem with his second marriage.” However, with numerous images then getting surfaced on social media, the Pakistani umpire claimed that he was with her as a “fangirl” and with him being happily married along with two kids, nothing was promised especially the marriage. 9. Andre Nel Andre Nel and Jelena Kultiasova. (Photo Source: Youtube) The former Proteas fast bowler, who was highly known for his fiery character was once highly alleged for having an extramarital affair. It was in September 2010, when Nel’s Latvian girlfriend named Jelena Kultiasova had found out about getting cheated especially when knowing that Andre Nel was already a married man. It was in 2004 when Andre Nel had married his wife Pretoria and was expecting their first child when the entire obnoxious event had shaped up. Later on, while confessing about his affair with Jelena, Nel spoke about them having sex twice or thrice at a time when he was playing for Surrey in county cricket. Overall, after the breaking out of the entire incident, the South African speedster was reported for attempted suicide and was immediately made to seek counselling along with his wife.

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9 Sex scandals in cricket history

These players were involved in quite a lot of off-field controversies.

7. Ian Botham

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