5 cricketers' autobiographies that created big controversies ft. Kevin Pietersen
Brian Lara, one of the greatest batters to have played the game, has written about his extraordinary career in his latest book, Lara: The England Chronicles. An explosive read, it delves into Lara's deep connection with England, a nation that played a significant role in his storied journey.
The book has also given a detailed account of different stages of his life, including the challenges he faced and the process he followed during his various record-breaking achievements.
However, he has also managed to ruffle a few feathers with a few of his claims. The likes of Viv Richards and Carl Hooper have not taken some of the stories lying down.
Here we take a look at five cricketers whose books created big controversies:
#5 Ian Botham - Head On
One of the most flamboyant English players of all time, Ian Botham was all about flair. He had all the traits to be a showman. A pace-bowling all-rounder, he played a crucial role in several memorable England wins.
It was but obvious that his autobiography, Head On, would continue his long-standing association with controversy. The book was an explosive read since Botham admitted drug misuse and also his rather unconventional techniques.
His book also alleged that Pakistani bowlers tampered with the ball, creating a storm in the cricketing world. He also admitted to having used marijuana - one of the many pointers that made this book a bestseller.
Whether on the field or off it, Sir Ian Botham continues to be a tabloid favourite and he continues to revel in it.
#4 Michael Hussey - Underneath the Southern Cross
Back in 2013, the then BCCI president N. Srinivasan described his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan as merely a cricket enthusiast. However, CSK opener and one of the most loved players of the side, Michael Hussey created a huge uproar when he gave an entirely different account in his book, Underneath the Southern Cross. As per Hussey, Meiyappan was actually managing the IPL team.
He claimed team owner N. Srinivasan, who was also the boss of India Cements, delegated the entire control of the side to Meiyappan due to his commitments with the BCCI.
“Our owner was Indian Cements, headed by Mr Srinivasan,” Hussey wrote in his book (via Times of India). “As he was also on the board of the BCCI, he gave control of the team to his son-in-law Mr Gurunath. He ran the team along with Kepler Wessels, who was coach.”
However, Hussey made a sudden and drastic U-turn just a few days later and said that he might have misrepresented the facts in his autobiography. Meiyappan had been arrested for his alleged involvement in the IPL spot-fixing as well as a betting scandal.
In this same book, Hussey took aim at Sachin Tendulkar for not shaking hands with the Australian team during the infamous 2007-08 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Hussey wrote:
"You don't forget to shake hands after an international match. Perhaps Sachin wasn't a god, just another human like the rest of us."
#3 Herschelle Gibbs – To The Point
He was a mercurial character on the field, an absolute match-winner on his day, but he was never far away from controversy. Herschelle Gibbs did not disappoint when he penned his memoir in which he revealed shocking details about his career. He spoke at length about sexual orgies, marijuana sessions, and the massive influence of senior players within South African cricket.
He also gave a vivid account of his own exploits that included late-night binges, and charges of drunk driving. And well, he claimed that a number of senior players in the squad smoked pot during a tour in the West Indies.
Gibbs recalled how the side never recovered and regained their spirit after the life ban of former captain Hansie Cronje, who was framed by Indian authorities on charges of match-fixing.
What really enraged people was the fact that Gibbs casually dismissed the gravity of plenty of his experiences and this included match-fixing, sexual debauchery, alcoholism, and even racism when he called a bunch of Pakistan fans ‘animals’.
#2 Shoaib Akhtar - Controversially Yours
The former Pakistan pacer loved to always hog the headlines and hence, when he decided to give his account in his autobiography, he took aim at Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid - two stalwarts of Indian cricket.
As per Akhtar, both Tendulkar and Dravid were not match-winners and he even claimed that Tendulkar was scared to face his bowling on a slow pitch in Faisalabad.
He wrote:
“I bowled (Sachin) a particularly fast ball which he, to my amazement, didn't even touch. He walked away! That was the first time I saw him walk away from me — that, too, on the slow track at Faisalabad.”
Akhtar also confessed that he, along with a number of great Pakistan bowlers, indulged in ball tampering to get the ball to reverse swing.
“Almost all Pakistani fast bowlers have tampered with the ball. I may be the first one to openly admit to it but everybody is doing it. To be honest, every team in the world tampers with the ball,” he wrote in his book, Controversially Yours.
#1 Kevin Pietersen - KP: The Autobiography
Always the one to stand out, always the one to be heard, Kevin Pietersen had to put sudden brakes on his international career and the effects of this acrimonious end could be felt in his autobiography.
He alleged that there was a culture of "bullying" within the England team and the dominant figures were Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, and Matt Prior. Pietersen also said that the bowlers would pass mocking remarks at their fielders for mistakes. He said that this toxic environment caused Jonathan Trott to "crack" during a Test in Bangladesh.
He was especially critical of Matt Prior and called him a “massive negative influence” in the dressing room. Pietersen took aim at Alastair Cook for always trying to be too nice and not taking a stand. He slammed former England coach Andy Flower and described him as “contagiously sour, infectiously dour” and being “horrendous” to work with.