Controversial Cricketers XI: Forming a team out of the most controversial cricketers of all time

Bowlers

Shane Warne

Australia’s greatest bowler of all-time Shane Warne has been involved in controversies related to drugs, sex, and involvement with bookies.

In 1995, Warne along with Mark Waugh, the duo were allegedly involved in accepting money from a bookmaker for giving information about pitch and weather conditions for a particular match.

He was suspended for 2 games at the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1999 after making derogatory remarks against former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

The lowest point of his career came just before the 2003 World Cup when he was banned for 6 months after being tested positive for a banned diuretic. Despite these controversies, Warne turned out to become the highest wicket-getter for Australia till date.

Shoaib Akhtar

Widely regarded as the fastest bowler of all time, Shoaib Akhtar has been in a soup of controversies throughout his career regarding poor attitude, ball tampering, and drug scandals.

After the 2003 World Cup, he was involved in a verbal spat with fellow teammate Waqar Younis after which both of them were sacked from the team.

In the same year, he was suspended for a short period for ball tampering during a triangular series in Sri Lanka. He was also suspended for 3 matches after abusing South African cricketer Paul Adams during a game.

In 2005, he was sent back from Pakistan’s tour of Australia due to his poor attitude. In November 2006, the Pakistan Cricket Board handed down a two-year suspension to Akhtar on the grounds of taking performance enhancing drugs. However, the ban was lifted the very next month.

S Sreesanth

Former Indian speedster S Sreesanth was known for his aggression and his antics on and off the field. Despite being incredibly talented, he was involved in multiple controversies over the years with regards to his behavior.

He was fined multiple times for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during matches and was given numerous warnings by the governing body. He even received a warning from the Kerala Cricket Association for not appearing in a Ranji Trophy match for his state.

The lowest point of his career came when he was involved in the ugly match-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League in 2013 where he was arrested on charges of spot-fixing while playing for the Rajasthan Royals. He was banned from cricket and has not appeared for the Indian cricket team since then.