A year that saw many scintillating feats on the field also, unfortunately, had many heated moments off it. In fact, there were so many controversies that it was hard to restrict them to the worst five, meaning incidents such as that stumping of Moeen Ali by Tim Paine in the first Ashes Test, the allegedly deliberate no-ball by Kieron Pollard to deny Evin Lewis a record-breaking hundred in the CPL, and even the latest match-fixing scandal to engulf Pakistan didn’t make the mark. It makes one wonder how bad the incidents that did make the cut were. Find out below:
Smith’s DRS fade
Apart from the Monkeygate scandal back in 2007-08, it is hard to think of another incident that did as much damage to the relationship between India and Australia. Australia had handsomely won the first Test in Pune, against popular expectation, and the second Test in Bangalore was at a pivotal moment when Steve Smith was adjudged lbw. After a brief consultation with his batting partner, Peter Handscomb, Smith looked towards the dressing room, clearly looking for guidance on reviewing the decision. It was against the law, and that incensed Virat Kohli to such an extent that the Indian captain accused his Australian counterpart of cheating (without actually saying the word), even though Smith admitted it was a “brain-fade” on his part. The respective boards got involved, with Australia’s James Sutherland terming Kohli’s accusation outrageous, even as the BCCI stood behind their captain. The incident plumbed the depths when Kohli eventually stated he was “no longer friends” with some of the Australian players. It was monkeygate reprised.
Kohli’s Kumble bungle
The Indian captain was involved in another controversy over the year – the spat with Anil Kumble, which eventually led to the spin legend retiring from his position as coach of the Indian team. Kohli, and apparently a few other senior players, took issue with Kumble’s hard-line, regimented style of functioning. Kohli was within his rights to voice his disappointment with that, but what crossed the line was the ugly aftermath – there were too many leaks and unsubstantiated quotes aimed at proving the point, all of which left a bitter taste. This was no way for anyone to be treated, let alone one of the greats of Indian cricket history. Kumble, for his part, was silent throughout the whole charade and tended his resignation, after which he finally released a statement: “I was informed for the first time yesterday (Monday) by the BCCI that the Captain had reservations with my ‘style’ and about my continuing as head coach. I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between Captain and Coach.” It was a dignified end to the saga that unnecessarily distracted from the cricket, and only one man emerged with credit after it all.
Stokes serves a one-two
Ben Stokes chose the most inappropriate time to get involved in a street brawl. In September, with the Ashes just around the corner, Stokes beat a man to pulp in a late-night punch-up outside a club. The incident was caught on CCTV cameras, and the video went viral. Stokes was said to have thrown 15 punches in a minute, with his England teammate, Alex Hales, watching on. Both were suspended. Reports emerged in the aftermath that the all-rounder was acting out after his victims had hurled homophobic abuse at fellow pub-goers. But whatever the reasons, this wasn’t what the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and the cricket world at large, wanted their representatives to do, especially not in public. Stokes was suspended, and the police investigated the matter, during the course of which he wasn’t allowed to play for England. The team suffered at the Ashes.
Delhi Test pollution
One of the more bizarre images on television came right at the end of the year when during the third Test between India and Sri Lanka in New Delhi, the Sri Lankan players made evident their troubles with the city’s air-quality. Their bowlers – Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Gamage – had trouble breathing, and the former was even spotted vomiting on the sides of the boundary. Soon, the whole team emerged from the dressing room wearing surgical masks in the hope that it would help provide some semblance of protection against Delhi’s dangerously polluted air. “We had players coming off the field and vomiting,” the Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas told reporters after the match. “There were oxygen cylinders in the change room. It’s not normal for players to suffer in that way while playing the game.”
Despite that, however, the cricket world was divided. While some realised that the Sri Lankans, coming from a country with good air quality, wouldn’t be accustomed to playing in the gas chamber that is Delhi during winters. Unfortunately, the more fanatic section of the crowd believed it was all an act: Sri Lanka were, at the time, being pummelled by the Indian batsmen, and this faction believed it was all a ploy to throw the Indians off.
It was a bizarre incident, but what followed was even more so.
Lodha’s BCCI headache
There really is no end in sight to this matter. It seemed the Lodha Committee, when it recommended the institution of a four-member panel to oversee the BCCI, had managed to find a way to ensure the board followed its directives without destabilizing the functioning of the cricket. However, in an explosive letter, one of the four-member panel, Ramchandra Guha, announced his resignation after a few months, citing many of the issues in Indian cricket and the seeming powerlessness of the committee to do anything about it.
It begs the question: with even the Supreme Court now struggling to end this saga in a prompt, proper manner, where is this going? Is there an end in sight? How far ahead in the future is it?
Perhaps 2018 is the year in which it will all get better. One can only hope.
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