5 controversies that rocked cricket in 2016

What started off as an elitist sport has now become the darling of the masses: the gentleman’s game has gained some rough edges over the years, severely diluted from his original form but the simple wood and leather sport that it began as.

From match-fixing to doping, cricket has soldiered on like a battered veteran, the incidents denting its image, but never enough to bring a huge dip in its popularity. 2016 saw its fair share of controversies, although much of it was related to incidents off the field, than on it.

Here are five of the biggest controversies that rocked the game in 2016: 

 

#5 Ball-tampering allegations against Faf du Plessis

South Africa’s current Test skipper, Faf du Plessis was at the centre of serious ball tampering allegations when he was found guilty of applying saliva from a mint on the ball during the Hobart Test between Australia and South Africa. 

Although du Plessis vehemently denied the claims, he was docked 100% of his match fees, after the ICC investigated footage of him using saliva to shine the ball. The 32-year old defended his actions, stating that there is a difference between ball shining and ball tampering, garnering the support of his Australian counterpart, Steve Smith. England captain Alastair Cook remarked that the ICC needs to be clear about ball tampering guidelines, because of a lot of ‘grey area’.

Later, Virat Kohli was also caught in the eye of a potential storm when a British tabloid claimed that he had shined the ball using residue from a sweet, but no complaint was lodged by the opposition team, nor did any statements come out in the aftermath of the matter.