5 statements that have backfired spectacularly
While cricket is a sport typically played by gentlemen, an occasional dose of trash-talking ahead of a big series never goes amiss and adds just that little bit extra fuel to the fire. We know England and Australia hate each other, but it is always nice to be reminded before we sit back and watch the latest chapter of their rivalry unfold.
It's an age-old tactic used to psyche out the opposition, but one that is perhaps best reserved for teams who are dominant, for the consequences of defeat leave those who have predicted the other side's doom with more than egg on their face. Here are five examples of statements that have backfired spectacularly they left teams embarrassed, humiliated, and, in one case, even grovelling.
1. Glenn McGrath predicting a 5-0 Ashes whitewash
Choosing an infamous Glenn McGrath Ashes whitewash prediction was a tricky task - Pidge has provided us with so many over recent years. But, for the sake of argument, his incorrect guess that Australia would dish out a 5-0 whitewash in England in 2009 is the one that will be flagged up.
England had regained the Ashes for the first time in almost two decades in 2005 - the last time they had played Australia at home - but an awful defence of the urn Down Under just 18 months later meant they were on the back foot once again. And, according to McGrath, a similarly painful experience was awaiting the Poms.
However, England had other ideas. After James Anderson and Monty Panesar dug in at Cardiff to earn a draw from what looked a lost situation, the team grew in confidence. They won the second Test to take the lead, but a draw followed by an Australia victory at Trent Bridge left honours even ahead of the final match at The Oval. Already woefully wrong on the scoreline, McGrath couldn’t even predict the victor. England won the fifth Test by 197 runs, and with it, the Ashes too.
2. David Gower: "The West Indies will be quaking in their boots"
“The West Indies will be quaking in their boots now,” said England captain and cheeky chappy, David Gower, wryly - he was admittedly half-joking. His team had defeated Australia to win the 1985 Ashes, and he had set his sights on toppling one of the great West Indies sides on their own turf.
That the series Gower was referring to saw Sir Vivian Richards blaze the quickest ever Test century is indicative things did not go as planned for England. In fact, they suffered one of the most comprehensive 5-0 beatings ever. The margins of the defeats were: 10 wickets, 7 wickets, an innings and 30 runs, 10 wickets and 240 runs. To compound the misery, they also lost the one-day series 3-1.
It marked the beginning of a torrid 1986 for Gower. Upon returning from the Caribbean, England struggled against India and after losing the first two Tests, the captaincy was stripped from him. A lot can change in a year.
3. Steven Smith thought England wouldn't "come close"
Steven Smith could perhaps be forgiven for being over-confidence as Australia arrived in England for the 2015 Ashes. In the midst of an incredible run of form, at the expense of Indian and West Indian bowlers, Smith assumed that he and his teammates would barely break a sweat against the English, and he declared in April that they wouldn’t “come close to us”.
How wrong he was. Barring a Smith double-century and an Australia victory in the second Test at Lord’s, England have otherwise torn their bullish opposition apart - and they may not be finished yet with one match still to play.
Australia’s batting totally deserted them since recording a massive win at Lord’s, and the scale of their humiliation reached new heights at Trent Bridge, where they were bowled out on the first morning before lunch, for a total of just 60 runs. To give Smith an ounce of credit, he was partly right. He insinuated that one team wouldn’t come close; he just got the wrong one.
4. Tony Greig: "I intend to make them grovel"
Tony Greig’s statement before West Indies toured England in 1976 courted much controversy. He said: “I like to think that people are building these West Indians up because I’m not really sure they are as good as everyone thinks they are. If they’re down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey Thompson and a few others, to make them grovel.”
The comments ensured that the series was to be watched intently – especially with the growing West Indian population in England at the time. Greig’s infamous prediction, however, was ultimately proved awfully inaccurate. An incensed Caribbean outfit battered the hosts, romping to a 3-0 win.
Greig, a man of integrity, fell on his sword following the final Test at The Oval, making light of the entire situation simultaneously. He got down on his hands and knees in front of one of the stands and pretended to crawl. Not only was Greig way out with his prediction, but he ended up “grovelling” as well.
5. Gautam Gambhir asking for "rank turners"
With losing comes bitterness and an agitated Gautam Gambhir was most certainly bitter when he said that India should prepare “rank turners” to combat the effect of Australia, South Africa and England, while his side were 3-0 in arrears to Australia on their 2011/12 tour. It would have been a fair enough comment had he and India backed it up when on home territory.
Alastair Cook’s England took up the challenge when they visited India later that year, as they sought a first series win in the country for the first time since 1984/85. The four-match series began with India cruising to a nine-wicket win, but England bounced back in Mumbai and Kolkata to go 2-1 up. They then stood rock solid in Nagpur to close out a famous triumph.
So much for the “rank turners” aiding India. England’s spin duo of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar bamboozled the hosts with 20 and 17 wickets respectively. Swann’s efforts saw him finish joint first with Pragyan Ojha as the series’ leading wicket-taker. Perhaps Gambhir should have asked for some flat decks instead.