13 cricketing superstitions you must know about

From the cryptic to the funny, cricket has it all. There are a lot of aspects to following the game of cricket that make it funnier and more intriguing than its face value portrays. Ever insisted that someone remain seated where they were during an on-going game because the team you support was doing well? Ever ensured you sat in the exact same position and place as the previous game in the belief that it was lucky for the team? Im sure every frenzied sport follower has indulged in the canard at some point in time.Superstitions and people have come a long way and such beliefs are prevalent among the players too. Cricket offers alot of ground for superstition in players, fans and even the game as an entity.When it comes to numerical superstitions, the Australians dislike for the Devils number 13, is very well known; this dislike even extends to the number 87 which is 13 short of a 100. This superstition can be attributed, as most people know, to the fact that there were 13 people present around the table at Jesus Christs last supper. But as for the exact reason why the number 13 is labelled wretched? One can only take shots in the dark.Moving on from the number-driven beliefs in cricket, there are several other superstitions that cricketers have followed religiously during their careers; these may seem quite arbitrary but they perhaps have their own private significance.

#1 David Shepherd

Ever wondered about the fable of the dreaded score of 111 and its multiples or, as they term it, the ‘Nelson’, which was brazenly broadcast by umpire David Shepherd?

The term originated from the legend of Lord Nelson, who was believed to have one eye, one arm and one leg and hence the number is believed to bring ill fate. Consequently, every time the score read 111 or its multiples (222,333 etc.), umpire David Shepherd would raise a leg from the ground to ward off bad luck, much to the amusement of the spectators.rs.

This same superstition was displayed during the Test between Australia and South Africa on November 11th, 2011, at 11:11, when South Africa needed 111 runs to win. Most spectators and umpire Ian Gould took to umpire Shepherd’s leg-raise Nelson for that minute with the scoreboard reading: 11:11 11/11/11 and 111 runs needed to win.