10 Most Selfish Cricketers

In today’s world, cricketers are like role models similar to people of any other profession. Some cricketers’ journey from being poor to scaling some unimaginable heights both in terms of success and money is exceptionally inspiring. And whether or not the common people aim to take up the same field, they look up to them and follow similar principles.

Also Read: Five Cricketers Who Played International And U-19 Cricket For Different Countries

But what happens when such idols opt for a wrong path? It seems unfathomable to us at first, considering how hard they have worked to achieve it. At the end of it, when the truth unveils, all we can do is sit back and accept it. Over the years, some of the accomplished cricketers have committed selfish acts, which benefits them personally and not the team.

We take a look at ten such cricketers who make it to the list:

Sachin Tendulkar:

Sachin’s selfishness came in the notice in the 2012 Asia Cup match against Bangladesh. The 47-year old was under immense pressure due to the 100th international hundred lurking. And to achieve the same, he played slowly, scoring 114 off 147 deliveries against Bangladesh. The right-handed batsman’s knock costed the men in blue a winning total as they lost by five wickets eventually.

Brian Lara:

Brian Lara has etched his name as amongst the greatest left-handed batsman in the world. The Prince of Trinidad was a shrewd craftsman, manhandling the likes of Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Wasim Akram quite easily. His score of 400 is the highest in Test cricket, having recorded in 2004 in Antigua.

But many may not know that the legendary knock was one of the most selfish acts in the history of the sport. Lara ground for 13 hours in an innings, which consisted of 43 fours and four sixes in 582 deliveries. It came under criticism since the West Indies had the chance to win the Test after losing the first three to the Englishmen. He scripted his name in the record books; however, the match resulted in a draw. He is surely among the most useless cricketers in world cricket history

Shahid Afridi:

Shahid Afridi has remained the poster boy of Pakistan cricket for more than a decade. With his charming looks and all-round abilities, Afridi revolutionized the game the way it should be played. And having played for nearly 20 years, the 40-year old has featured in 398 ODIs, 27 Tests, and 99 T20Is.

But he has a reputation for being consistently egoistic. Afridi came out of retirements multiple times to try out his luck to see if he had anything left in him to take Pakistan to great heights. The PCB had enough faith in him and hence got multiple chances. Yet, that didn’t amount to anything monumental.

MS Dhoni:

It came most under focus during the 2019 World Cup game against England. As England all-rounder Ben Stokes pointed out, there was an obvious lack of intent from the former captain to take his side closer to a target. While the statement may have been debatable, one cannot argue that Stokes was partially correct. He is surely among the most useless cricketers in world cricket history

Sunil Gavaskar:

Sunil Gavaskar was the first batsman to get to 10000 Test runs, having played international cricket for 16 years. Gavaskar’s 34 Test centuries and 10122 was once a world record. During his 101-ODI career, the Mumbai batsman played a disgraceful knock, which remains unforgettable.

It occurred in the first-ever World Cup at Lord’s in 1975 when India were left to chase 335 in 60 overs, which was a monumental score that time. As an opening batsman, Sunil Gavaskar drudged through 174 deliveries only for 36 runs. India lost by a whopping margin of 202 runs, losing only three wickets during their pursuit. The right-handed batsman’s knock tarnished the milestone scaled by One-day cricket that time.

David Warner:

David Warner may end his career as one of the most accomplished Australian batsmen across formats; however, forcing Cameron Bancroft to tamper with the ball would forever remain a chapter in his career. In March 2018, as the cameras at the Newlands in South Africa caught Bancroft rubbing sandpaper on the red cherry, a massive scandal broke out.

It was later revealed that David Warner was the mastermind behind the plan while the then Australian captain Steve Smith faced criticism for not preventing it. Hence, giving the task to one of the youngest cricketers and putting a blemish on him was a sheer selfish act. Another one of his selfish performances came in 2012 against Sri Lanka when he scored a 100 off 140 deliveries that got Australia to lose the game. He is surely among the most useless cricketers in world cricket history

Sir Richard Hadlee:

Sir Richard Hadlee is one of the most prominent cricketers to come out of New Zealand and lead the foundation for them being a competitive side. Hadlee picked up 33 wickets to script their first and the only Test series victory in Australia till date, which remains his most significant achievement.

But his reputation cracks when knowing that the all-rounder shortened his run-up in his twilight days to extend his career. As renowned writers also suggest, he was a rigid captain and hardly listened to any teammates’ inputs. Furthermore, he never used to share the prize money with his teammates, which Hadlee used to win through the player of the match or tournament awards.

Geoffrey Boycott:

Geoffrey Boycott went down as one of the finest batsmen of its generation, but he was always central to controversies. In his 18-year career, Boycott was part of 108 Tests, and 36 ODIs, managing over 8000 Test runs at 47.72. The 108 Tests yielded 22 centuries along with the best score of 246*.

But the Yorkshire-batsman was also someone, who never adopted aggressive gameplay, agitating the management and fans on more occasions than one. In one of the games against New Zealand, the English coach deliberately sent out Ian Botham to run out Boycott to up the ante. In turn, Boycott ended up running out Botham and hurled abuses at him. He is surely among the most useless cricketers in world cricket history

Steve Waugh:

Steve Waugh was one of the sensational captains, who took over from Mark Taylor to take Australia to new heights. Waugh was the master of mental disintegration, nicknamed as “Tugga” for his ice-cool personality on the field. His relationship with premier spinner Shane Warne for dropping him for one of the Tests against West Indies in 1999.

Apart from that, the former Australian captain came under accusation for personal records and staying unbeaten to boost his career average. He was involved in 104 not outs in his international career, which often put the tailenders at risk.

Ajmal Shahzad:

Ajmal Shahzad had a brief career yet a promising career with England. He featured in 1 Test, 15 ODIs, and 3 T20Is, taking 24 wickets in all those. Shahzad’s last of those came in 2011, which was an ODI against Bangladesh.

Back in 2012, Yorkshire Chairman Colin Graves accused Ajmal Shahzad of being selfish and indicted of him not being a team man. His statement read for the Yorkshire-born as as “This is a team game. I am not prepared to have somebody playing for Yorkshire who does not want to be part of the team.” He is surely among the most useless cricketers in world cricket history.

Also Read: Top 5 Youngest Cricketers To Lead India In ODIs