On Her Majesty's Disservice: England's most controversial cricketers

May it be the cannabis, the aluminium bat or the underarm delivery, the protagonists of cricket have shown that they have some fascination for pissing off their opponents. The quintessential gentleman’s game hasn’t failed to produce its fair share of ‘bad boys’, and even though the fact may not be applicable to every case, it may be argued that some kind of extra-curricular activities pursued by cricketers on and off the field do provide for a bit of harmless entertainment.

The recent exile of Kevin Pietersen from English cricket is a harsh indictment of a maverick whose energies were never fully harnessed and channelized. Recent reports suggest that those energies might have been amply released in a rant against Andy Flower, in a secretly arranged team-meeting organized by Alastair Cook and Matthew Prior with a motive to discuss the coach’s methods. The rant, allegedly, was the incriminating evidence that lead to his axing.

It is difficult to brush aside the argument that Pietersen was made a scapegoat for the disastrous campaign in Australia after Andy Flower’s sacking seemed insufficient to save face. That discussion will continue in the relevant circles. Meanwhile, one can honestly mourn the loss of a superb batsman who could easily have been England’s best, and arguably is, but those of us who like to be amused will surely miss his antics on and off the field.

Nobody wants to see an ugly spat that demeans the game or one that degenerates into an unacceptable behavior such as racism, but a good old fashioned exchange of words isn’t the worst thing for a cricket lover. Sledging, heated-exchanges and staring after a well delivered bouncer are all accepted modes of aggression that are cherished under the unwritten rules of the game. However, like with everything else there are certain boundaries that cannot be crossed.

Here’s a list of some English cricketers who, against the cliche of ‘the gentleman’s game’, endeavored to express their intriguing personalities to the full through their performances on and off the field.

Ian Botham

Ian Botham

Popularly known as ‘Beefy’, Ian Botham is comparable to the tempestuous tennis players of the 80′s. He is hailed as the greatest English all-rounder and remains, still, as an outspoken observer and commentator of the game. Ian Botham did it all and is a key character in cricket’s most talked about controversies: either as a protagonist or as a monumental achiever. He was England’s hero at Headingly in 1981 when England came back from a virtually impossible situation to win the match courtesy of a 149 not out. Australia’s corresponding ‘bad-boy’ Dennis Lillee had played a bet on England in that game, when the stakes against them were 500-1, ensuing in a much talked about controversy when England eventually won the game.

Botham was suspended in 1986 for smoking cannabis and was perhaps the first player to be handed a suspension for a crime that has since plagued the game of cricket. Botham’s irresponsible behaviour had made him a favorite with the tabloids, who churned a lot of money through his exploits. A perfect bad boy story is incomplete without an extra-marital affair, and Botham wouldn’t have his story dull. He was rumoured to have been quite an escapader, but there was one damning admission atleast.

He was involved in the Botham vs. Khan trial that interrogated into allegations of ball-tampering and racism made by Imran Khan in an ‘India Today’ article. Botham ended up losing that trial too.

Botham shared a much-talked about rivalry with his namesake Ian Chappell. The two reportedly came to blows in a bar brawl, but Chappell has always denied that Botham hit him. Fortunately, the likes of David Warne and Joe Root are continuing that long-standing tradition of love between enemies.