Ten Cricketers And Their Unique Styles Of Celebration

We all are mesmerized by cricketers’ ability to turn the game on its head, playing classy shots, style statements, dignity and savage press conferences. Nevertheless, one thing that gets overlooked is the cricketers’ mode of celebration after reaching a landmark, picking up a wicket or post-winning any game.

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Over the years, there have emerged a host of cricketers with unique celebrations, which some fans always cherish it. There can be ample reasons behind the sort of celebrations that they have adopted, inspired by an athlete from a different sport or to signal the intensity of bouncing from a rough patch.

We take a look at ten cricketers and their unique styles of celebration:

Imran Tahir:

Imran Tahir is one of the greatest leg-spinners of the modern era in limited-overs cricket. Having made his international debut in 2011, the Pakistan-born leg-spinner Tahir has chalked up some record-breaking numbers in ODIs and T20Is. Across two white-ball formats, Imran has featured in 38 T20Is, and 107 ODIs, picking up 63 and 173 scalps respectively.

When the 41-year old picks up a wicket, he sprints across the ground with his hands wide open. Along with that, Imran Tahir also punches the air and slaps his chest in celebration. The veteran does all that before celebrating anything with his teammates.

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Shahid Afridi:

Shahid Afridi was one of the most exciting all-rounders, whose career spanned nearly two decades. With his swashbuckling ability to clear the boundary with ease and will. Afridi’s strongest suit was One-day cricket in which he represented Pakistan in 398 games while also playing 99 T20Is.

While he has currently retired from international cricket, the 40-year old continues to play T20 leagues all over the world. As far his mode of celebration is concerned, Afridi stands with his hands up in the year wide open after taking a wicket or scoring the winning runs. It was first spotted after the 2009 ICC World T20 after Shahid Afridi hit the winning runs.

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Ravindra Jadeja:

Ravindra Jadeja has become an exceptionally handy all-rounder for India across formats. While he is a genuine match-winner with both and ball, Jadeja is known for his outstanding fielding, which has affected many game-changing run-outs. Not only run-outs, but the Saurashtra all-rounder has also taken some terrific catches on the boundary line.

Ravindra Jadeja’s celebration comprises of swinging his bat like a sword after scoring a century or reaching the three-figure mark. In a press conference, the 31-year old smilingly revealed that it is a trademark Rajputana style, which he has been following. He went on to add that since he cannot bring a sword to the ground, Jadeja does the action with a willow.

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Ashish Nehra:

Ashish Nehra may not have been the best left-arm pacer; however, he had a reasonably fulfilling career. Having made his international debut in 1999, Ashish Nehra struggled plenty with his injuries that led him to miss a few years of action. He was part of the 2003 World Cup squad that reached the final and eight years later when India won the World Cup for the second time.

The 41-year old’s best performance in a 120-ODI career came in the 2003 World Cup against England in Durban. Nehra’s 6/23 in ten overs gave the Men in Blue the victory by 82 runs. Nehra brought into play the aeroplane celebration following each wicket during that match. He played his last international game in 2017 against New Zealand.

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Hasan Ali:

Hasan Ali was amongst the best fast bowlers produced by Pakistan until his recent inconsistencies and injuries stalled the progress. The right-arm seamer played a significant role in giving Pakistan their first Champions Trophy in 2017. Hasan Ali received the man of the tournament for taking 13 wickets in five games.

Hasan Ali’s celebration is named as “bomb explosion” in which he crouches down and suddenly gets up, spreading his hands. Unfortunately, in July 2018 in an ODI against Zimbabwe, the 25-year old injured his neck due to stretching his hands beyond a permissible limit.

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David Warner:

David Warner is amongst the explosive opening batsmen produced by Australia following the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, and Aaron Finch. With a compelling record in all three formats, the 33-year old Warner would indeed finish as one of the greats of the game.

After scoring a century or reaching a three-figure mark in any format, the little dynamite brings out his signature leap, jumping ecstatically. One of the recent ones arrived in January 2020 when he mustered a hundred against India.

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Dwayne Bravo:

Dwayne Bravo is a modern-day T20 great, skilled in both batting and bowling along with being an exceptional fielder. While Bravo hasn’t featured for West Indies much in recent times, he remains active around the world, playing in T20 leagues. The Trinidadian plies his trade for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL and has also played for Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions in the past.

Dwayne Bravo is also one of the most fun-loving cricketers, who share cordial relations with India and its people. On taking a wicket, Bravo often shakes his leg with some hilarious dance moves on which fans often go awe.

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Brett Lee:

Fast and furious aptly defines the former Australian speedster, Brett Lee. During his prime, very few batsmen had answers to the searing pace of the New South Wales-born. Lee was part of Australia’s squad that lifted the Champions Trophy in 2006 and the World Cup in 2003.

During the early days, the 43-year old used to portray the chainsaw celebration; however, in the fag end of his career, Lee jumped in the air in celebration. The Australian speedster retired from international cricket in 2012.

Tabraiz Shamsi:

Tabraiz Shamsi has emerged as South Africa’s first-choice spinner in limited-overs cricket as Imran Tahir has reached the twilight of his career. While it is still early days, the left-arm spinner has proven economical for the Proteas in white-ball games.

In December 2019, during the second season of the Mzansi Super League, the 30-year old performed a magic trick after bagging a wicket. He pulled it off in the form of producing a wand out of almost nothing.

Sheldon Cottrell:

West Indies limited-overs speedster Sheldon Cottrell is one of the best left-arm bowlers today. With his muscular demeanour and the ability to bang the ball hard on the deck, Cottrell produces a considerable bounce off any pitch. Sheldon Cottrell is also one of the outstanding fielders of the present era.

Cottrell’s celebration is one of the famous and the greatest today as he marches shortly down the pitch and waves salute after bagging a scalp. When asked him about that style of celebrating, the 30-year old claimed that he was a soldier by profession and the salute is to show respect to the Jamaican defence force.