All-Time Arrested XI in Cricket History

Cricket is a gentlemen’s game and while playing it, players are required to display discipline, integrity, and commitment on the field and off of it. However, in the history of this beautiful sport, there have been a few players who didn’t maintain these qualities and landed in massive trouble. Some of them also finished their careers for tarnishing the image of the sport. A few players didn’t do anything wrong while playing on the field but off the field, they committed such crimes that grabbed a lot of attention. Within the last one and a half years, some cricketers hit the headlines for getting arrested for their severe crimes. It’s time to talk about their infamous acts along with the notorious deeds of a few other cricketers as well. Here is the arrested XI of all-time 1. Danushka Gunathilaka Danushka Gunathilaka. (Photo Source: Twitter) Danushka Gunathilaka has played 101 international matches for Sri Lanka since his debut in 2015. During the T20 World Cup 2022, his career took an ugly turn when a woman he met online accused him of sexual assault. Following the allegation, the Sydney police arrested him on November 6, 2022. After playing a couple of first-round matches, he got ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. However, he didn’t leave the Sri Lanka camp despite the injury. Following the arrest, he tried to come out on bail but his request got denied. After spending 11 days behind bars, his application got accepted and he succeeded in coming out on a few conditions. Since then, the 32-year-old cricketer hasn’t returned to Sri Lanka as the case is still pending against him. In May 2023, the public prosecutor dropped three of four sexual charges against him. Currently, he is suspended from all forms of the sport due to the serious allegation. 2. Navjot Singh Sidhu Navjot Sidhu. (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images) Navjot Singh Sidhu is known for his lively personality but those who watched cricket in the 1980s and 1990s know that the former India opener was well-known for his anger. During his career, he gave a lot of bites to news journalists with his on-field altercations. While playing for India, he had differences with his captain Mohammad Azharuddin. However, one incident that changed his life is a 1988 road rage case. In December 1988, Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu had an argument with a 65-year-old man Gurnam Singh due to car parking issues. The fight between the three men got ugly when Sidhu thrashed Gurnam and left the scene. Sidhu also removed his car keys so that the veteran couldn’t receive medical help. Gurnam was taken to a local hospital on a rickshaw but was declared brought dead. Following this incident, Sidhu and his friend got booked for the crime. In May 2022, the former India opener was found guilty of the death of the 65-year-old and was given a one-year sentence for the heinous crime. 3. Nasir Jamshed Nasir Jamshed of Pakistan. (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images) Nasir Jamshed is one name that is remembered by Pakistan cricket team supporters when they recall their team’s notable ODI series victory in India in 2012-13. In the three-match ODI series, the left-handed batter had notched up 241 runs with a couple of impressive tons. For his extraordinary batting efforts, he also received the Player of the Series award. However, following that incredible series against India, Jamshed’s form started declining and he also got ruled out of the team due to his consistent unsuccess. In 2017, Britain’s National Crime Agency arrested him for taking part in spot-fixing. During the 2017 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he encouraged other players to fix the match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi. In February 2020, the Manchester Crown Court handed him the punishment to serve 17 months in jail for defiling the sanctity of the sport. Earlier, he also got banned for a period of 10 years by an anti-corruption tribunal for taking part in the scandal. 4. Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper) Kusal Mendis (Photo Source: Twitter) Kusal Mendis is an integral part of the Sri Lanka cricket team due to his superb batting and wicketkeeping skills. In Sri Lanka’s sixth Asia Cup triumph in 2022, the 28-year-old played an important role with his bat, scoring 155 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 156.56. Nowadays, his life is going smoothly but there was a time when Kusal found himself in the midst of a controversy. In July 2020, the Panadura police arrested Mendis for running over a 64-year-old pedestrian. The veteran was travelling on his bicycle when the Sri Lanka stalwart’s car crushed him. Following the accident, the pedestrian was taken to a nearby hospital but eventually, he died of the fatal injuries. A day after the accident, Kusal got released on two personal bails of 1 million Sri Lankan rupees respectively. Currently, Mendis is a vital cog in Sri Lanka’s team in all three formats. 5. Imran Khan (captain) Imran Khan. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto/Getty Images) Imran Khan is one of the most revered figures in Pakistan due to his unprecedented contribution to the national cricket team. Under his sensational leadership, Pakistan pulled off their maiden and only ODI (One-Day International) World Cup title in 1992. Following his retirement from international cricket, Imran entered Pakistan’s politics. In 1996, he floated his own party named Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). After struggling for 22 years in the political circuit, Imran became the Prime Minister of his country in 2018. After ruling the nation for almost four years, he got ousted in 2022 after failing to prove his majority in the no-confidence vote. The former Pakistan prime minister got sentenced to three years in prison in August 2023, following an Islamabad court order in the Toshakhana case. According to Pakistan’s Geo News, Imran was arrested shortly after the court’s order. There are allegations on the 70-year-old that he intentionally hid details about the gifts he kept in Toshkhana, a treasure house for presents given to government officials by foreign officials. 6. Vinod Kambli Vinod Kambli- An acute tale of Talent vs Success Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar played school cricket together but the former couldn’t become a huge icon as the latter. Serving India from 1991 to 2000 in international cricket, he turned out in 17 Tests and 104 ODIs. Donning the colourful jersey, he scored 2477 runs with a couple of tons and 14 fifties. While in India Whites, he racked up 1084 runs with four centuries and three fifties. Kambli’s career was full of dramas. His fight with Mohammad Azharuddin is not hidden from the media. In 2011, he accused Azharuddin and his other teammates of fixing the 1996 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka. After 12 years of this incident, Kambli again hit the headlines for the wrong reason. In February 2022, the former India batter got arrested by Bandra police for driving under the influence of alcohol and ramming his vehicle into the car of Tejaswini Powar, the wife of former India off-spinner Ramesh Powar. The 51-year-old former cricketer was later released on bail. 7. Ben Stokes Ben Stokes in 2019 Ashes. (Photo Source: ANTHONY DEVLIN/AFP via Getty Images) England Test skipper Ben Stokes is one of the incredible all-rounders in world cricket. The star player has achieved a lot of success as a player in the international arena. In his 12-year international career, he hasn’t got involved in a lot of controversies. However, in 2017, he got into huge trouble in Bristol. After England’s victory against the West Indies in the third ODI, Stokes got arrested for getting involved in a fight outside Mbargo nightclub in Bristol. The England all-rounder spent a night behind bars but got released later without any charges. There were reports that claimed that he injured his hand in the fight. In August 2018, Stokes got acquitted after the jury accepted that the England stalwart acted in self-defense. The court concluded that Stokes was found not guilty and it was a huge victory for the veteran all-rounder and his family, who went through 11 months of ordeal. 8. Wasim Akram Wasim Akram (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto via Getty Images) Wasim Akram served Pakistan for 19 years from 1984 to 2003. During this period, he helped his team bag a lot of games with his pace-bowling potential. He concluded his career becoming the most successful bowler for his side with more than 900 wickets in 460 international matches. Along with success, Wasim’s career was surrounded by a lot of controversies as well. During his illustrious career, he also faced match-fixing allegations. In 1993, when Pakistan toured the West Indies, Wasim was arrested on a beach in Grenada on the charges of possessing a controlled drug. Waqar Younis, Aaquib Javed, and Mushtaq Ahmed were also apprehended along with Akram but later all four players got released on bail. In October 2022, the former Pakistan skipper revealed he was addicted to cocaine following the end of his cricketing career. He also added that he quit his habit after the demise of his first wife. 9. Sandeep Lamichhane Sandeep Lamichhane. (Photo Source: X) The Nepalese legspinner was a sensation when he burst on to the scene. The 23-year-old has had a stellar career, picking up 210 international wickets from 103 appearances. He has represented several franchises across the world and played for the Delhi Capitals from 2018-2020. In a complaint filed in September 2022, the young cricketer was accused of raping a minor in August 2021 in a Kathmandu hotel. An arrest warrant was issued against him but Lamichhane, who initially denied the allegations, was absconding and the authorities had to seek the assistance of Interpol to locate him. In early October, he returned to Nepal and surrendered. After being remanded by a Kathmandu court for more than a couple of months, the legspinner was released on bail in January 2023. However, post a lengthy investigation and court trial the Nepalese cricketer was convicted of rape on December 29, 2023. The quantum of punishment was decided upon on January 10, 2024, serving him with a jail term of eight years along with a fine of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the victim. 10. Mohammad Amir Mohammad Amir. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Mohammad Amir broke into international cricket at the age of 17. The fast bowler succeeded in impressing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with his impressive fast bowling in ICC T20 World Cup 2009 and ICC Champions Trophy 2009. Amir’s journey in international cricket was going well until he toured England with the Pakistan team in 2010. During his side’s campaign in England, a British tabloid performed a sting operation, following which a bookie named Mazhar Majeed got arrested. The bookie claimed that he bribed a couple of Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif to bowl no-balls intentionally in the Lord’s Test against England. The operation came out in the form of a video that showed Mohammad Amir bowling an over the way Majeed directed him to. The video caused havoc in the cricketing circle as spot-fixing hit international cricket after 10 years. Amir got arrested along with his senior colleague Asif and Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who played a vital role in this act. Amir was slapped with a five-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following a proper investigation. 11. Mohammad Asif Mohammad Asif. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) Mohammad Asif could’ve become a great bowler in international cricket for Pakistan if he hadn’t taken part in the spot-fixing scandal that shook international cricket in 2010. As mentioned earlier, how the 17-year-old Amir bowled no-balls against England during the Lord’s Test of 2010 and got a five-year ban. In the same contest, Asif also played a major role with the ball in fixing. Along with Amir, he also received bribes and was directed to bowl no-balls by the bookie Mazhar Majeed in the match. Asif followed Majeed during the game and delivered a no-ball. When the sting footage came out, Scotland Yard police arrested him with Amir and Salman Butt. The video created an uproar among cricket fans and ICC charged Asif with Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corrupton Code and suspended him along with his colleagues Amir and Salman. In February 2011, he got a seven-year ban from ICC for corrupting the game.

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All-Time Arrested XI in Cricket History

These players hit the headlines for getting apprehended and going behind bars.

4. Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper)

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