5 Instances When Active Players Publicly Criticized Their Cricket Boards

The instances of players not being satisfied with their cricket board’s actions have started to increase in the modern era and it will not be a surprise more of these cases emerge. It is tough for a player as he has had to do a lot of sacrifices to attain the status of an international player and he should be given the necessary acknowledgment for it.

It can be any conflict with the board and it will be much better if the boards discuss the problems with the players in private spaces. It is very important for the Board to know the requirements of the players and here are 5 times active players publicly criticized their cricket boards.

5 Instances When Active Players Publicly Criticized Their Cricket Boards:

Kamran Akmal Questions The Selectors:

Pakistan wicket-keeper batsmen Kamran Akmal who hasn’t played international cricket for a while now was shocked when he was dropped from the squad for the five-match ODI series against Australia in 2016 despite being in good form. He took it to the Pakistan cricket board in an interview with the Express Tribune to show his disappointment over his snub.

He was confident that he will be selected and he even added about having performed in all formats in the domestic season too. Kamran Akmal is 39 years at the moment, and he has played a lot of match-winning knock for the country in crucial moments. Naturally, an aggressive batsman, he always liked to take on the bowlers.

Dwayne Bravo Pulls Out Of India Tour:

The West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo who was the skipper of the side in 2014, pulled out of the India tour over conflicts with the West Indian board for the payment. Bravo had written to the management requesting a negotiation but it was turned down by the board and it wasn’t particularly liked by the skipper.

His withdrawal from the series was unexpected and Wavell Hinds was the West Indies Players Association president at the time. Post his retirement from international cricket, Bravo played only franchise cricket all around the world, until he came out of retirement to be back in West Indies T20 squad for the Worldcup.

Mohinder Amarnath Lashes Out On Selectors:

Mohinder Amarnath who played a crucial role in the Indian batting lineup in the late 1980s was dropped and recalled for most of his career. There was a rumor of the BCCI selectors not sharing a good relationship with him and this might have influenced the decisions. Amarnath expressed his disappointment calling the Selectors a “bunch of Jokers”.

Amarnath played 69 tests and 85 ODIs for India scoring 4378 and 1924 runs respectively. Amarnath became a national selector post-retirement and he was always remembered for having a great impact in the 1983 world cup win for India.

Kevin Pietersen’ Omission Ahead Of Ashes:

Kevin Pietersen was told by the England Cricket Board that he will not be picked up for the Ashes tour which became a big controversy. Pietersen was always an exciting talent and he will go down as one of the best batsmen to have played for the England team. But he had always fought over the cricket board and the selectors which did not help his inclusion in the side.

Post his commission, he had always criticized the board for not giving him enough opportunities and he is currently, serving as a commentator in the IPL. Pietersen played more than 100 games for England in both ODI and Test format and later became a T20 specialist playing franchise cricket all around the world.

Sri Lankan Players Refuses To Sign Contract:

Sri Lanka Cricket Board imposed a new rule for the salary of the players stating that there will be a reduction in salary and the players will start getting incentives based on their performances. This has become a heated controversy as the deadline of June 3 is going to decide the upcoming tours will be only a tour contract.

The Sri Lankan players refused to sign the new contract as they wanted their base salary to continue and they have also requested the Board to be clear with the assessments to the players. This has put their home series against India in July in jeopardy. Sri Lanka has lost their first two ODIs against Bangladesh recently and they will need to work a lot more.