6 Times cricketers did the unexpected on the field

To see Dale Steyn bowling a fast-paced good length delivery or to witness a trademark cover-drive from Kohli isn’t that hard for a fan of cricket. But sometimes, as in every other sport, cricketers do things that fans are not used to seeing, and more often than not leaves them speechless. Be it a bit of plaster across the mouth, or an extremely wild celebration from a typically composed player, unexpected moments on the pitch are ones to treasure.Here’s a look at 6 times cricketers did the unexpected on the field.

#1 Worcestershire go \'keeper-less\'

The tactic resulted in one of the rarest field setups cricket has ever seen

In a county match against Northamptonshire, the skipper of Worcestershire, Daryl Mitchell, asked wicketkeeper Ben Cox to temporarily put his keeping duties on hold and become an outfielder, leaving no one behind the stumps to save runs. The ploy appeared to be an extension of MS Dhoni’s idea of standing back to the spinners while keeping for India in a recent Test Series against England.

The puzzled on-field umpires allowed Daryl Mitchell to carry on with this unusual setup after much consultation, making this a very unique and surprising occurence in the history of the game.

#2 McGrath receives cricket\'s first red card

Billy Bowden, one of the wackiest umpires of cricket, came up with a witty retort to McGrath’s antics

During the closing stages of a T20 game in 2005 between Australia and New Zealand, which the Aussies had all but won, Glenn McGrath, who was bowling to tail-ender Kyle Mills rolled the ball along the ground underarm, in what was clearly a cheeky attempt at recreating the infamous “Underarm ball” of 1981.

His jovial attempt at humour was met with the equally jocular umpire Billy Bowden giving McGrath a red card, all in good humour of course. This was one event where both the umpire and the bowler surprised the spectators.

#3 Ramdin\'s brave reply to Viv Richards

Ramdin’s actions were not taken too kindly by the cricketing community

Viv Richards had spared no words with his criticisms on Denesh Ramdin’s recent form in Tests. The Caribbean wicketkeeper hadn’t fared too well with the willow in recent games, and his performances had received some scathing reviews from Richards.

In what he believed to be a fitting response, Ramdin held up a piece of paper in the very next match, after scoring a century, on which were written the words “Yea Viv Talk Nah”. This act of his came under further fire from critics, who believed this to be an act of pure brashness.

#4 Anil Kumble\'s boundary-kick

Kumble was always a fierce competitor when it came to the game of cricket

The outfields of Australia are known for their unforgiving sizes, and batsmen would often run four runs, by the time the fielder managed to even reach the ball. One such incident occurred during a practice Test between India and Australia in 1999. The poor fielder was Anil Kumble, who wasn’t too well known for his aptitude at chasing the ball.

As the batsmen were gearing up to actually run a fifth run by the time Kumble had managed to close in on the ball, a spark of genius prompted Kumble to kick the ball to the ropes, restricting the Aussie batsmen to only four.

#5 Sreesanth\'s six-celebrations

Sreesanth’s wild celebrations were received with great distaste from the critics

A man known for his exuberant – and at times wild – celebrations, Sreesanth proved to be true to his nature during a heated Test match between India and South Africa. After a spot of banter on the part of Andre Nel, the bowler, Sreesanth managed to heave the next ball over the ropes for a six, and followed up with an unexpectedly wild jig on the middle of the pitch.

His antics brought waves of laughter to the fans and the non-striker, who could only look on as the ludicrous celebrations took the center-stage.

#6 Pollard\'s plaster across the mouth

Pollard’s tape across the mouth seemed to be mocking the umpires, who had asked him to remain quiet

Another player known for his exaggerated celebrations and actions on-field, Kieron Pollard, the hard-hitting and hard-talking Mumbai Indians batsman thought it prudent to stick a piece of plaster across his mouth, following an altercation with the umpires, who asked him to cease provoking the opposition. The incident occurred after his compatriot Chris Gayle, who was batting for the Royal Challengers Bangalore complained to the umpires about Pollard relentlessly trying to get under his skin.

Pollard’s gesture left the Bangalore crowd, the commentators the Mumbai side and the support staff in splits. The only person who failed to see the funny side of it was Gayle himself.