Bad boys of cricket

It's a gentleman's game but cricket has seen its share of bad boys over the years. Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand cricketer, a regular figure whenever controversy raised its head, was in the news recently when he was seriously assaulted in Wellington by two men. Admittedly, this time he wasn't inebriated as usual. In fact, he was on a break to sort out "personal issues" pertaining to problems with the bottle. There are others like Ryder. Brawls, drugs, indecent gestures, racism taunts, alcoholism - several cricketers have had their tryst with controversy. Aabhas Sharma lists some from cricket's hall of shame:

Andrew Symonds
Perhaps one of the most talented cricketers Australia has produced in the last decade, Symonds was a handy bowler, big-hitter and a terrific fielder. He also had a problem with his temper and with alcohol. Once a drunk Symonds went on a radio show and launched an abusive tirade against New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum. Then he missed a team meeting in an ODI series against Bangladesh. When the Australian team management asked him why he hadn't attended the squad discussion, he nonchalantly told them that he had gone fishing. And who can forget the infamous MonkeyGate when Harbhajan Singh accused the Australian cricketer of racist abuse.

Shoaib Akhtar

Drugs, ball-tampering, hitting teammates, abusing officials, Shoaib Akhtar's career was peppered with notoriety. Just before the 2007 World Cup, Akhtar struck out at his bowling partner Mohammed Asif with a bat. In 2006, he, along with Asif, tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs. His then captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, had complained to the Pakistan Cricket Board about his drug abuse but it was never reported. Akhtar was banned for two years by PCB but was later cleared after a successful appeal in the Pakistan High Court. In 2008, British immigration officials sent Akhtar back home as he was travelling on an invalid work visa. Akhtar was contracted to play for county side Surrey but didn't have the correct permits. An exasperated PCB itself started rumours that Akhtar had contracted a sexually transmitted disease - although the claims were later proved false. Is it a surprise that Akhtar's biography is titled Controversially Yours?

Harbhajan Singh
He is perhaps Indian cricket's Mr Controversy and for good reason too. Harbhajan Singh's list of ungentlemanly behaviour is a long one. Apart from being involved in MonkeyGate with Symonds, he also was a major player in SlapGate when he reduced fellow Indian cricketer S Sreesanth to tears with a slap after an IPL match. The two cricketers made up soon after, but like Mike Tyson's ear-chomping propensities, Harbhajan's slap-happy ways became legend. Another person to face this was a cameraman outside an airport. Bhajji slapped him resoundingly, alleging that the cameraman had gotten too close and his camera had stuck him on the turban. And speaking of turbans, don't forget how the cricketer angered the Sikh community after he featured in an advertisement for a liquor brand without his headgear. He had to apologise and the ad was taken off air.

Praveen Kumar
Quite possibly, the only cricketer who was deemed "mentally unfit" to play the game. During a domestic cricket match, Kumar headbutted a batsman and abused the umpires. In 2008, he bashed up a doctor in Meerut after he had accidentally driven over a puddle and splashed muddy water on the cricketer's shirt. In 2011, Kumar was involved in two brawls with spectators in West Indies and England. And now comes the story of how an obscene MMS involving a man with two women was filmed at Kumar's flat in Meerut. Kumar's friend and cousin were involved in making the MMS and allegedly extorted Rs 51 lakh from the man involved to cover up the scandal. Kumar's brother, however, has denied the cricketer's involvement in the case.