Most hated XI in international cricket

It is not so difficult to determine how a player can make his way into the fans’ hearts, but scoring in matches of relative importance and contributing profusely to the team’s success. The fans also adore cricketers who come up with miraculous performances, like Yuvraj Singh’s outstanding all-round effort in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Hatred, on the other side, is a much complex and difficult concept to understand. Sometimes, a few players could receive unparalleled hatred despite not doing anything heinous intentionally. Since the game is called the “Gentleman’s game”, the fans also take notice of some cricketers who are a wee bit too aggressive and tend to not like it. There are many stories of cricketers in the past which made the fans hate certain individuals a lot. While sometimes it isn’t completely justifiable, it is also inevitable. Could the cricketers have done much to rectify it? Maybe yes, maybe not in some cases. Let’s look at cricketers who have the most haters in international cricket: 1. Salman Butt Salman Butt of Pakistan. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) A talented opener who perhaps had everything in his arsenal to become an all-time great, Salman Butt remained a country mile away from greatness and he only has himself to blame. The way things escalated and transformed in his case is a lesson to many youngsters, to think twice before stepping into a path in life. In 2010 he was implicated of allegations in spot-fixing and eventually was banned from playing cricket. Interestingly, he was the captain of the side when this incident happened. Although the ban on him was lifted in 2015, he never really came back at the top level. Not just the Pakistani fans, but also the global cricketing audience dislike the 34-year-old for throwing away such an amazing future into the bin. 2. Jesse Ryder Jesse Ryder. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) How many of you remember a healthy, yet muscular Jesse Ryder at the top of New Zealand‘s batting order tormenting the bowlers for fun? There were comparisons being drawn to some of the greatest hitters of the game and clearly, Ryder had it in him to etch his name forever in not just New Zealand’s history, but everywhere. What really stopped him from achieving the greatness he was associated with for so long is a question that still haunts many fans. Ryder indulged in a “late night drinking session” during the series against Windies in 2009, which saw him getting dropped. His drinking problem was becoming serious with every passing day and his performances started to dip, with the cricketer losing his composure. He was also attacked in a bar in 2013 by some other drunkards, where he suffered a skull fracture and was medically induced into a coma. Sadly, the game where Corey Anderson scored a 36-ball century, Ryder too chipped in with a hundred and that was his last association with New Zealand in International cricket. The 34-year-old’s tragic turn of events didn’t go down well with many Kiwi fans who were already seeing their side struggle so badly during that time. Also check: 10 Legendary cricketers who deserved a farewell match 3. Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) It should come in as no surprise to see a bunch of Australian cricketers in this list. Their attitude of “Winning at any cost” many times crossed the ethical borders and no one understands it better than the legendary Ricky Ponting. It’s almost sad to see one of the game’s all-time greats in this list, but during his playing career, Ponting was definitely not the nicest of gentlemen on the field. Getting involved in heated discussions with players and umpires, the infamous Sydney Test in 2008 being a classic example. Some fans also hate him for battering their favourite teams single-handedly on the field, which is a little obnoxious but also highlights what a dominant cricketer he was. He lost all his control and furnace towards the end of his career and eventually, he called time on his playing days in 2012. 4. Greg Chappell Greg Chappell (Photo Source: Cricket Australia) A name that sends chills down the spine of Indian cricket fans for all the wrong reasons – Greg Chappell never managed to win the Indian fans, neither as a player nor as the Indian head coach. He was rated as the “Greatest batsman in Australian history” alongside Ricky Ponting and Sir Donald Bradman, which should explain how magnificent a cricketer he was. But he wrote one of the darkest chapters in cricket history in 1981, where he urged his bowler (and younger brother) Trevor Chappell to bowl underarm off the final ball when New Zealand needed 7 runs to win. After more than half the cricketing universe went against him for that incident, his tenure as the Indian coach also marked a new dark chapter in his history. He failed to get along with the big names like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and the rest. Indian cricket encountered its worst-ever World Cup performance during his tenure in 2007, having exited in the group stages with losses to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He clearly had lost all the love by the time he was sacked. Also check: Unsung heroes in ODI World Cup victories 5. Mohammad Azharuddin Mohammad Azharuddin. (Photo By Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) It is almost saddening to see some of the greatest cricketers of all-time featuring so high on this list. Mohammad Azharuddin, one of the classiest and elegant middle-order batsmen of all time, a legend with 22 Test centuries, 7 ODI centuries and over 15,000 International runs to his name – despite amassing such amazing numbers, he never was in the good books of Indian fans. Although it is not justified for fans to judge a cricketer for his personal life issues, Azharuddin was allegedly involved in various relationships despite being married to actress Sangeeta Bijlani. But arguably the biggest reason behind the fans hating him was his involvement in the match-fixing scandal in 2000. Although the ban on him was lifted in 2011, he missed some great years of his cricketing career serving suspensions. 6. Michael Clarke Michael Clarke. (Photo Source: Twitter) One of the most elegant and mentally tough cricketers Australia produced, Michael Clarke finished his career in 2015 as an absolute legend of the game and also as a World Cup-winning captain. Yet, just like some of the other Australian cricketers mentioned in the list, he had a fair share of disciplinary issues on and off the field. His unnecessary involvement in brawls with Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and other Indian cricketers during the 2007/08 tour was one of the first instances when the fans noticed his bad side. Mitchell Johnson also went on to quote that the Mickey Arthur and Clarke era after Ponting’s retirement was “Toxic” and he hated to play in that side. He was another one of those cricketers who firmly believed in winning the game at any cost and despite earning a good image in his broadcasting career, Clarke can never erase some of the things he has done as a player and a captain. Also Check: Laziest XI of all time in cricket 7. Mushfiqur Rahim Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo Source: X(Twitter) Some premature and ugly celebrations, some unnecessary comments and posts on social media, Mushfiqur Rahim would never have received the hatred he eventually did if not some of the silly things. He tends to lose his composure a bit during a hard-fought win or a big wicket and celebrates it a bit too wildly, including using expletives against the opponent, much to the dislike of neutrals. After losing to India in the World T20 2016, Mushfiqur posted a picture celebrating when India lost to Windies, which he took down later. Yet, fans had taken a screenshot of it and took it very personally. Although the reasons for people to hate him over the period have been a bit vague, it’s evident that he doesn’t enjoy great admiration in India and some other countries. 8. S Sreesanth Sreesanth of Rajasthan Royals. (Photo Source: Twitter) Another one of those cricketers who had a pretty good future ahead but managed to destroy it all by themselves was Shantakumaran Sreesanth, or popularly known as Sreesanth. The Kerala fast bowler was quick, passionate, aggressive and had every good quality a fast bowler needed. He was a part of the World Cup 2011 and World T20 2007 sides which India triumphed. But after getting booked in the spot-fixing scandal in 2013, fans turned against him and started hating him. The fans felt betrayed having seen him excel at one point and now watching his career degrade this way. BCCI imposed a lifetime ban on Sreesanth for his alleged involvement and since then, he has tried many times to get back into cricket, only to see things not transpiring his way. Also check: 10 biggest controversies in Indian cricket history 9. Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: Twitter) Every fan has one or the other reason to hate a cricketer and in case of Ravichandran Ashwin, it is the few mankading incidents which took place in Australia back in 2012 and also in the IPL in 2019. Some fans and experts reckon Ashwin tries to intentionally mankad the batsmen and doesn’t do it spontaneously as he always defends himself. The incident which happened this season took the Internet by a storm when he ran out Jos Buttler in Jaipur before delivering the ball. After the match, he claimed it to be spontaneous, but replays didn’t show any spontaneity in the incident. He tried to do the same twice in one over against Sunrisers Hyderabad but backed out noticing the non-striker was within his crease. The umpires then stepped in to issue a warning to the Punjab skipper, who later got hammered on social media. 10. Mohammad Asif Mohammad Asif. (Photo Source: Twitter) One of the most amazing swing bowlers the world of cricket can ever witness, Mohammad Asif bowling his heart out was a treat to watch. The tall, lanky fast bowler was a nightmare to so many batsmen during his prime and was definitely on his way to becoming an all-time great. But then, not one or two, but several incidents ruined his career. In 2006, he was tested positive for an anabolic steroid and a couple of years later, something similar happened when he was with the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2008. Further cricket controversy followed when he was detained in Dubai suspected of having drugs on his person. Worst of them all, Asif was convicted alongside Salman Butt and Amir for the infamous spot-fixing incident in England where he was sentenced to one year jail. Although his suspension was lifted in 2015, he never managed to back to his old best. Also Check: 10 Shortest Cricketers of All Time 11. Shane Warne Shane Warne. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) The spin king who had no boundaries to stop his brilliance, Shane Warne had beautiful and ugly chapters running simultaneously during his playing time. Although people do remember the good stuff once a player retires, none can forget how much of chaos he was sometimes. From very heated on-field banters to allegations of sexual harassment, his cricketing career saw pretty much everything. He had a bad relationship with former skipper Steve Waugh, against whom he wrote some very bad things in his biography. In 2003, Warne was banned from cricket after he was allegedly using some illegal substance, which saw him miss the World Cup that year. On several occasions, he was involved in sexual harassment allegations, which apparently was one of the main reasons behind his divorce in 2007. In 1994, Warne allegedly had dealings with a bookie, which didn’t go down well with the fans. He also got into a famous altercation with some boys, who pictured him smoking during their series against New Zealand in 2008. He clearly wasn’t the nicest of boys on and off the field, but one cannot disagree that he was an absolute legend of the game. Also check: 5 Cricketers who disliked their teammates for various reasons

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Most hated XI in international cricket

There are many stories of cricketers in the past which made the fans hate certain individuals a lot.

7. Mushfiqur Rahim

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