Fights with high voltage were some of the biggest in the history of cricket

Updated on September 02, 2022 19:39 PM by Laura Mendes

This was one of the best and most memorable fights in cricket history. Some of these were entertaining, while some went too far. We saw many more such incidents, but these were the biggest. Despite being a gentleman's game, cricket is never without a bit of banter amidst the intense competition on the field.

It makes the game more exciting and fierier. However, the fire in the eyes touches the flames and becomes even crazier. Even so, it does seem to add some missing bits of entertainment to the game of cricket. Let's explore the biggest fights in cricket history, from Kieron Pollard vs. Mitchell Starc to Monkey gate.

There are some ugly moments in cricket history that fans do not want to remember, but it is a sport that binds two nations together and is known as a gentlemen's game. On the field, they broke the spirit of cricket and became involved in the biggest fights in cricket's history. There has never been a perfect gentleman's game.

It has been rare to see tempers flare on the cricket field because players behaved out of character or brought out their true sides, although we see players joking around during the game. We will look at ten instances below where cricketers have completely lost it.

Kieron Pollard versus Mitchell Starc

IPL 2014 saw a furious and crazy incident between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 17th over when Starc attempted to sled Pollard after he missed a bouncer. Stars started to run off the next bowl, but Pollard stopped midway through. He wasn't in a hurry to back off and bowled the orb at Pollard's body, which enraged him deeply.

The crowd was surprised when Pollard immediately threw his bat at Starc in a forceful manner, but he was lucky that he did not hit the pacer. Both contestants committed a destructive and toxic act. This hateful act made fans tense, not because of the scoreline but because of Pollard's action. Later, Pollard was fined 75% of his match fee, whereas Starc was penalized 50%.

Andrew Flintoff versus Sourav Ganguly

The final ODI of the six-match series between India and England began with the final ODI at Wankhede Stadium. This story was not about actual sledding. It was about self-respect and courage. Despite needing 11 runs to win the match and series, Flintoff prevented India from winning it in a close match. As soon as Flintoff stepped on the field, he began juggling and celebrating as wildly as possible.

Later that same year, India and England met in the Natwest Tri-series final at Lords. Ganguly's disappointment was evident at miles. India had been losing at that point, but Yuvi and Kaif batted out to win the match. Dada took off his T-Shirt just like Flintoff did a few days ago as soon as Zaheer and Kaif completed the winning run, but this time he did it from the Lord's balcony, which symbolized India and its captain.

Andrew Flintoff versus Yuvraj Singh

During the inaugural World T20, what better story of 'sledding that went wrong' than Yuvi's face-off with Flintoff? Yuvi scored a boundary off a yorker from Flintoff, to whom the latter criticized the shot and threatened Yuvi by saying, "I'll cut your throat off." Seeing the bat in Yuvi's hand, he replied, "Do you know where I'm going to hit you with it?" The umpire had to cool them down.

Nobody knew what would happen next. It was as if Yuvi was slapping Flintoff's face with a virtual tight slap. He hit six sixes off six balls of Stuart Broad's over. It almost ended Broad's white-ball career. Yuvi wanted to prove that if he had hit his head with the bat, it would have rolled over six times like a ball.

Tim Paine and R. Ashwin

A classic sledding incident occurred during the Border Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia. On the final day of Sydney's third Test, Australia was in the driver's seat as India was five down and needed to bat another 40 over for a draw. The match was at a critical point, with both teams at 1-1, and this Test was in Australia's hands.

Because Vihar was injured at the other end, R Ashwin had to step up. Ashwin replied, just like we want you to go to India. Paine said from behind the wickets, "I cannot wait to get you to the Gabba, Ash. The last series you will play will be at Gabba. Paine realized that he had made a mistake. India won the Gabba Test after 32 years. His remarks in the previous Test could not have been more regrettable.

Andrew Symonds versus Harbhajan Singh

In cricket history, this incident was arguably the most significant sledding incident. It was about Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds, a notorious "Monkeygate" incident. The incident occurred during the Sydney Test of 2008. Australia felt frustrated with Bhajji's partnership for the eighth wicket.

At some point, Symonds and Harbhajan exchanged words. Later, Australian players claimed that Bhajji slandered Symonds by calling him 'Monkey.' The incident resulted in a controversy sparked by both players denying the accusation. This severely damaged their reputations, but Harbhajan's management supported him.

Mitchell Johnson vs. James Anderson

Our list of cricket history's biggest fights continues with the fight between two fast-bowling legends. It was one of the most entertaining series ever. The teams were playing with a lot of passion. Between James Anderson and Mitchell Johnson, flames could be seen. England had gone wicketless for an extended time, and Ryan Harris was on strike.

In front of him, as he was bowling, Mitchell Johnson told him, "Why are you chirping now, buddy? Not getting any wickets?" But Anderson did not react. Anderson destroyed Harris' stumps with his very next delivery. He immediately turned to Johnson and silenced him. That is the best response ever by a bowler to a batsman.

James Anderson vs Jasprit Bumrah

As part of a recent five-match Test series in England, India and England collided. At Lords, India batted well after the first Test match was drawn. Jasprit Bumrah was suddenly fired up when Anderson came on at number 11. The bowler bowled ten balls over Jimmy and struck with his nasty bouncers on the trot.

He did not seem to be trying to out him at all. After Bumrah came out to bat, he was attacked with words by a bunch of English players. The players continued their tussle for the rest of the series after Bumrah's 34 not out at a crucial stage of the match. Ultimately, India won the series by 151 runs.

Marlon Samuels versus Shane Warne

Marlon Samuels and Shane Warne faced off during a Big Bash League match between Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars in 2013. When David Hussey hit his second run, Samuels attempted to hold his shirt. When Samuels came out to bat, Shane Warne retaliated by pulling his shirt and saying a few words, despite being on the microphone.

As he fielded, Warne even threw the ball toward Samuels. Warne replied with his bat, not his microphone, which ignited a fight between the two players. Later, in the final of ICC WT20, Marlon Samuels dedicated his player of the match award to Warne.

James Faulkner vs Darren Sammy

It's hard to hate West Indian cricketers because they're so nice and fun-loving. However, Australians did not find them that way. The Australian bowler, James Faulkner, commented just before the WI-Australia match in the 2014 World Cup, "I'm not particularly fond of them (WI)." You must try to get under the skin of good players to get them off their game.

Good players are good players, but you must do something to get under their skin. The West Indian captain and player were angry because of this hate. Sammy made 34 off just 13 balls to seal the win for West Indies. The West Indian player's celebration was ferocious after the thrilling victory.

Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh

There have been some sledding and fights in franchise leagues, but some duels have also heated up. The IPL is no stranger to these kinds of incidents. Harbhajan Singh, leading the Kings 11 Punjab team against Mumbai Indians in 2008, is being accused of slapping Sreesanth as he shakes his hands after the match. Sreesanth also cried after the match. The wickedest act ever seen on the cricket field was when Sreesanth, overexcited by the win, tried playing with Bhajji, making him angry and slapping him.

James Anderson versus Michael Clarke

In cricket, the Ashes have been one of the fiercest contests. In Tests, England and Australia are arch-rivals. In the 2013 Ashes, it was the 1st Test that was highlighted because of ugly sled banter. During the last Test in Australia, when the only wicket required was one for the team to win, Michael Clarke angrily warned James Anderson, England's last batter.

It was a terrible sled that was unnecessary and terrible. Get ready for a broken arm. Face up! That was an unnecessary sled. After Australia defeated England by a mammoth 381 runs, England's captain tried to defend Clarke's behavior. However, many greats raised eyebrows at Clarke's actions.

Kesrick Williams versus Virat Kohli

Unlike most players, Virat Kohli is known to wear his heart out on his sleeves each time he steps onto the field, so this was one of the strange and equally interesting duels. Kohli's signature celebration in the first T20I of the series, 2019, against WI, shocked the audience when he repeatedly gestured the notebook-signature gesture after hitting over Kesrick Williams' bowling. Kohli did the same thing Williams did.

He looked shocked and astonished. In 12 balls, Kohli bowled 32 balls to smash Williams for 32. It was later revealed that Kohli remembered the send-off from the same bowler from his last tour, which led him to return it. Yes, Kohli remembers everybody. Even though Kohli stated he was not disrespecting anyone, he just wanted to have fun. But this joke became legendary.

Shahid Afridi vs Gautam Gambhir

When the arch-rivals came into contact under the same hut, Gautam Gambhir versus Shahid Afridi was one of the biggest adversaries. Neither of them was afraid to express their anger and admiration. Gambhir collided with Afridi during the 20th over of the third ODI in 2007, which led to both exchanging a few words that turned into serious jibes.

Even though neither of them did well with the bat during the match, they started a long-lasting rivalry despite the on-field umpire intervening to calm them down. Despite retiring from the game, the two are still sledding each other on social media platforms. It seems as if they have developed lifelong animosity toward each other.

Amir Sohail vs Venkatesh Prasad

The Indian and Pakistani cricket contests have always been tense. There is immense pressure to outplay one another, and the dual-level is exponential regarding World Cup knockouts. The heat is always on. As a result of this heating effect, Amir Sohail hit a boundary off Venkatesh Prasad's bowl in a 1996 World Cup quarterfinal. He then arrogantly pointed to Prasad's bowl to sled him.

It looked as though Sohail would get it for Pakistan at the moment, as he was smashing every other ball. However, Prasad destroyed Sohail's stumps for a few seconds on the next ball, sending them flying. As Prasad waved his hands angrily, he gave the southpaw a healthy send-off. As a result of Venkatesh taking three wickets, India won by 39 runs, making this fudge quite famous.

Danish Kaneria vs. Brian Lara

If someone like Brian Lara had banter fun with you, it would probably make you think a hundred times before you did, even if he was in a wristy flow with the willow. An example is Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan spinner who attempted to get the better of Lara in the 2006 Multan Test. Kaneria bowled a googly, to which Lara defended. In response, Danish taunted, "Well done, Brian." Lara replied, "Okay, Sir."

That was all. Brian instantly became in a mood to show who was the real Sir. After bowling four consecutive balls in the slot, he hit Kaneria for 6, 6, 6, 4 en route to 92 runs. Although Danish Kaneria got Lara 5 times in his career, it ultimately turned out to be a stupid act on his part. Teasing someone of such caliber is always risky. Lara went on to make 216 runs alone.