Cricketers and their superstitions

The game of cricket has seen many superstitious cricketers. No matter how big the cricketer is or the number of runs he has scored or the number of wickets he has picked, he would still continue to follow certain superstitions which he believes would help him to succeed. After a point of time, the superstitions become a part of his game and his teammates too become accustomed to the same.

Here is a look at some superstitions followed by cricketers at the international level:

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Steve Waugh- The lucky red handkerchief

The red handkerchief presented by his grandmother was Steve Waugh's lucky charm

Steve Waugh was one of the most respected cricketers to have played the game of cricket. Waugh, due to his dynamic leadership skills was an example for young cricketers on and off the cricket field.

The right-handed all-rounder from New South Wales scored 10,927 Test runs at an average of 51.06 and 7569 ODI runs at an average of 32.90.

During his tenure as an Australian captain, he led his team to many famous victories home and away and Australia was a dominant force in Test cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He also inspired the Australian ODI team and led them to a World Cup win in England in 1999.

Waugh always carried a red handkerchief in his left pocket while batting. The red handkerchief was presented to him by his grandmother and according to Waugh, it brought him luck whenever he carried the said handkerchief while batting.

By the time he called it a day in the year 2004, the handkerchief was totally tattered but Waugh considered it as his lucky charm.

He even presented a piece of the said handkerchief to the Windies batsman Marlon Samuels. Waugh was impressed with the temperament and the talent of Samuels and a part of his precious red handkerchief was gifted to Samuels.

Neil McKenzie- The most superstitious cricketer

Neil McKenzie is the most superstitious cricketer to have played the game of cricket

Neil McKenzie certainly tops the list as far as the weirdest superstitions are concerned in the game of cricket.

The right-handed batsman from South Africa made sure that all the toilet seats in the dressing room were down before he went out to bat. If that was not enough, Neil also needed to have all the lights in the changing room off before he went out in the middle to play his first ball. And finally, he had to tap his bat on the ceiling before each game.

McKenzie went on to play 58 Tests and 64 ODIs for South Africa and averaged 37.39 and 37.51 in Tests and ODIs respectively before retiring from international cricket in 2009.

Sanath Jayasuriya- Checking his cricket kit

Sanath Jayasuriya checked his cricket kit before every ball he faced

The left-handed opening batsman from Sri Lanka changed the dynamics of ODI cricket in the 1996 World Cup by playing attacking cricket in the first 15 overs. Jayasuriya along with his opening partner Kaluwitharana attacked the bowlers from the first over to put the fielding team under tremendous pressure.

The starts given by Jayasuriya in the first 15 overs were extremely vital in Sri Lanka's successful campaign in the 1996 World Cup.

Jayasuriya had the superstition of checking his entire cricket kit i.e. his gloves, pads, helmet, bat and even his pockets before facing each ball. He followed this routine in every match he played at the international level.

The veteran scored 13,430 ODI runs and picked up 323 ODI wickets which is a record in itself. Even in Tests, Jayasuriya scored 6973 runs at an average of 40.07.

Jayasuriya is one of the top all-rounders to have played the game of cricket.

MS Dhoni- Removing the straps of his gloves

M.S. Dhoni has the habit of removing the straps of his gloves while batting

While M.S. Dhoni is batting, it is not an unusual sight of watching him remove the straps of his gloves at regular intervals especially when he dispatches the ball to the boundary.

The fans around the world are used to this sight of Dhoni removing the straps of the gloves to tighten the grip. This practice may have been followed by the former Indian skipper to ensure that the bat does not slip from his hand. And after almost 13 years in international cricket, it has become a habit for M. S. Dhoni.

Dhoni has led India to wins in the 2007 World T 20 in South Africa, 2011 World Cup triumph in the subcontinent and the Champions Trophy victory in England in 2017. Dhoni is the most successful wicket-keeper to have played for India in all the three formats.

Mahela Jayawardena- Kissing the bat

Mahela Jayawardena had the superstition of kissing his bat

The former Sri Lankan skipper was one of the finest middle order batsmen to have played the game of cricket.

During his early days at the international level, Jayawardena had the habit of kissing his bat before he faced every ball. However, with the passage of time, the Sri Lankan kissed his bat only on reaching a milestone i.e. a half century or a century.

Jayawardena has the distinction of scoring 10,000 plus runs in Test cricket and ODI cricket and has scored 11814 Test runs and 12650 ODI runs. He is regarded as one of the modern-day greats in international cricket as he scored runs all over the globe.