5 instances of pre-match comments backfiring

From AB de Villiers jibe against the English bowlers a couple weeks ago, to a more infamous and historically etched incident in Tony Greigs Grovel remark, this slideshow is a compilation of iconic instances of pre-match comments by players or administrators backfiring, sometimes, in rather embarrassing ways.

#1 Tony Grieg\'s \'grovel\' remark

Newspaper headlines in England in the aftermath of what was an embarassing series defeat against the West Indies

Perhaps why this incident makes it to the very top of this list is due to the graveness of Tony Grieg’s remarks at a point of time in history when racial tensions loomed large across the world. 

The West Indies had arrived in England in the summer of 1976 in middling form, losing 5-1 to Australia earlier in the year, and eking out a scratchy series win over India. In an interview with the BBC’s Sportsnight programme, Greig claimed that he intended to make the West Indians “grovel, with the help of Closey (Brian Close) and a few others.” 

Greig’s comments shocked the world and even some in the West Indies camp, having come from a white man, and a South African at that, in the Apartheid era. The emotions in the West Indian camp were perhaps summed up best by Vivian Richards saying, “Everyone was stunned. This was the greatest motivational speech the England captain could have given any West Indies team.” 

England went on to crumble to a series defeat under Clive Lloyd’s four man-strong pace attack. The last Test was played at The Oval, where hordes of Caribbean people came to witness England lose in a match where Michael Holding claimed fourteen wickets. 

Greig went on to regret the remarks in his post-match presser.