5 cricketers whose 'bad boy' image kept them out of the team
The world of cricket has been no stranger to ‘bad boys’ – those who may be good performers on the cricket field but end up being in the news for all the wrong reasons every now and then.While some of these cricketers went on to become legends, examples being Shane Warne and Ian Botham, there are a few who ended up losing their spot in their respective teams due to their image. And the worst part is that they went out of the team despite performing quite well.Today we focus on 5 bad boys of the cricketing world who paid the price for their controversies.
#5 Mohammad Amir (Pakistan)
Possibly the only teenager in cricketing history to get sucked into controversy has been Pakistan’s left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir. The youngster was just 19 years old when he pleaded guilty in the spot-fixing controversy which went on to tarnish the image of his country’s cricket forever.
Just a few months before the events of the spot-fixing scandal unfolded, Amir was being seen as one of the best fast bowlers for the future in the cricketing world. At the age of 18, he claimed the record of being the youngest cricketer to get 50 wickets in Tests and all seemed to be motoring along pretty smoothly.
The scandal which virtually ended the careers of Amir’s other two associates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, who were banned for 10 years and 7 years respectively, the young bowler qualified for a 5-year ban from the game. All three guilty parties also spent 6 months in imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court.
Mohammad Amir recently returned to Pakistan’s domestic cricket structure after having completed the period of his ban, but the debate on whether he should be allowed to play for the Pakistan national team is sure to continue for some time now.
Career started - 4 June 2009, Test debut
Last international match - Test match vs England, 26-29 August 2010