10 Popular Cricketers And Their Nicknames

Every cricketer does have a nickname that has been used by his teammates inside the dressing room and in the field and it is always a sign of the positivity going inside a team. It does bring a different amount of unity inside the team and the teammates start enjoying each other’s success.

One of the methods to get the dressing room very close is to use nicknames and sometimes it can create a great atmosphere inside the team as well. Even some of the greats of the games have been called by certain names and it is a great gesture to have. Here are 10 popular cricketers and their nicknames.

10 Popular Cricketers And Their Nicknames:

Chris Gayle – Universe Boss

Chris Gayle is often called the Universe Boss and he himself has mentioned it the same way in post-match interviews. His bat stickers have been labelled as The Boss and he is one of the most destructive openers of all time in any form of cricket. He hits sixes for fun and his strong built physique helps him to clear the ropes easily. He holds most of the records in T20 cricket.

Shikhar Dhawan – Gabbar

Shikhar Dhawan is one of the best openers going around in limited-overs cricket at the moment. Dhawan is popularly called the nickname called “Gabbar” inside the Indian dressing room and he has been in the prime form off late in the IPL. The 35 years old first got the name in a Ranji Trophy match where his coach Vijay Dahiya called him for his entertainment factor in the field and also his twirling of the moustache.

Steve Smith – Smudge

Steve Smith is popularly called the “smudge” by his Australian teammates and the name was given to him by Mike Hussey. The reason behind the name was that people who have their last name as Smith are referred to as Smudge in England. Steve Smith is the number one test batsman in the ICC rankings and he has become a stalwart in test cricket already.

Sachin Tendulkar- Master Blaster/ little Master/ God of Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar was called with three nicknames in his international career popularly as little master, master blaster, and god of cricket. He is one of the greatest batsmen to have played the game and he has the most international runs by any batsman so far in the history of cricket. He is also the only man to have scored 100 centuries in international cricket.

Ricky Ponting – Punter

Ricky Ponting was nicknamed “Punter” and it even showed up in an international T20 match against New Zealand in 2006. The name was given to him by his teammate Shane Warne after finding out about his craze for horse race betting and dog races. Ponting is one of the all-time greatest batsmen and he was very successful while captaining Australia.

Michael Hussey – Mr. Cricket

The Australian left-hander Michael Hussey made his way into international cricket very late in his career but seemed to have become the backbone of the Australian middle order in a quick time. He was popularly called Mr. Cricket for his excellent batting technique and he adapted to all forms of the game really well. He is currently serving as a cricket coach and he does some commentary at times.

Virat Kohli – Cheeku

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli is popularly nicknamed “Cheeku” by his teammates and the reason behind it has been he was slightly chubby in his younger days. Kohli was given the name by one of his coaches from Delhi and he has certainly worked on his fitness a lot post making it to international cricket. He is one of the best batsmen going around in the cricket world at the moment in all formats.

Sir Ian Botham – Beefy

Sir Ian Botham was one of the greatest all-rounders of all time and he contributed highly with bat and ball for England for a number of years. He was nicknamed “Beefy” when he was playing county cricket for Somerset and he did look a lit bit Beefy when he played international cricket. Botham is currently serving as a commentator in international cricket.

Shoaib Akthar – Rawalpindi Express

Shoaib Akthar clocked the fastest delivery ever in international cricket and the Pakistan fast bowler was popularly called the ” Rawalpindi Express” for his pace and also, that he had a big heart to keep bowling those quick deliveries. He was strongly built and his action was always threatening any batsman in the world. He is one of the greatest bowlers from Pakistan to have played the game.

Glenn Mcgrath – Pigeon

Glenn Mcgrath is popularly called the “Pigeon” by his teammates and it first originated from his New South Wales teammate Brad McNamara. The reason behind the name was his strange legs that looked like Pigeon’s ones and he is one of the all-time greats of the game. Mcgrath’s accuracy in line and lengths is unmatchable and he used his height and pace to his advantage.