WATCH: 5 worst fights on the cricket field

Cricket, like many other top sports in the world, is played in a competitive environment, where the players are expected to deliver top-quality performances day in and day out. Oftentimes, this creates high pressure on the best of players, making them prone to scenarios where they lose cool on their counterparts and even the officials in question. The fights between cricketers generally occur when they behave out of character in the moment, against the spirit of the game, regretting it later on, in most of the cases. With that, SportsTiger looks back at five worst fights on the cricket field, which changed the complexion of matches and rivalries altogether.1. Shane Warne vs Marlon Samuels The late great Australian, Shane Warne was often referred to as the “Bad Boy” of cricket, who never shied away from speaking his mind to his opponents. The incident involving Marlon Samuels happened when he had already retired from international cricket. It was during a Big Bash League (BBL) in 2013 between Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades, when the former West Indies cricketer didn’t let one of his counterparts David Hussey steal a second run at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Once Samuels came out to bat for Renegades, Warne, who didn’t like what he saw earlier, hurled abuses at him. Later on, he went on to throw the ball aggressively in the direction of the batter, which hit him on his torso. It led to Marlon Samuels throwing his bat in the direction of Shane Warne, which missed him, leading to both players getting fined and a one match ban in the BBL for the Australian leg spinner.#PAGE_BREAK#2. Kamran Akmal vs Gautam Gambhir During the Asia Cup 2010 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Gautam Gambhir was involved in a ugly spat with Kamran Akmal. The moment occurred when the Pakistan wicket-keeper was appealing to the umpire after Saeed Ajmal beat the outside-edge of the bat of the Indian opener. Gautam Gambhir wasn’t happy about how excessively long and loud the appeal from Kamran Akmal happened to be, after the umpire had made his decision. This led to the Indian cricketer getting into the face of him during the drinks break, letting him know what he thought about his behaviour on the cricket field. The Pakistan cricketer didn’t back down either, which nearly got both of them coming to blows. In the end, MS Dhoni, the non-striking batter and the umpires played peacekeeper to get the situation under control. #PAGE_BREAK#3. Shakib Al Hasan vs Umpire Shakib Al Hasan, one of the most prolific cricketers from Bangladesh, has had his run-ins with the umpires over the years. In 2021, during a match in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, he lost his cool on the cricket field after the on-field umpire didn’t give the opposition batter Mushfiqur Rahim LBW. This made Shakib Al Hasan visibly angry, leading to him kick down the stumps and knock the bails off. He started having a heated argument with the umpire, who had also not adjudicated a few calls in his favour earlier in the game. The behaviour from the Bangladesh cricketer got him fined and a three-match ban from the DPL. Unfortunately, the incident made the umpire in question, Moniruzzaman, quit his match officiating job from all forms of cricket. #PAGE_BREAK#4. Michael Clarke vs James Anderson The first Test of 2013-14 Ashes and the entire series was synonymous with the fast-bowling masterclass from Mitchell Johnson. During the one-sided contest at the Gabba, when England were staring down at a defeat against Australia, James Anderson, who was none too thrilled about facing the opposition fast bowlers on a bouncy pitch, got into the face of George Bailey, fielding at short leg. The Australian, who was new to Test cricket at that time, did try to stand toe-to-toe with the English great, but he was overpowered with incendiary words. Michael Clarke, the captain of Australia, took stock of the situation and in his bid to help his fellow teammate, he got into the face of James Anderson. At one point during their altercation, Clarke was quoted as saying to Anderson, “Face up then. Get ready for a broken fucken arm. Face up.” Mitchell Johnson went on to get the left-handed batter caught and bowled, to help Australia achieve a famous win in the first Ashes Test. #PAGE_BREAK#5. Virat Kohli vs Naveen-ul-Haq The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 produced one of the worst fights in the history of the prestigious franchise tournament, between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq. It all began during the league stage match between Lucknow Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. When Naveen-ul-Haq was out in the middle, batting in a tense run chase for his franchise team, he had a run in with the opposing player, Virat Kohli. The Afghanistan cricketer seemingly took offence to the Indian counterpart calling the bowlers to deliver bouncers at him. The umpires, RCB players, and non-striker Amit Mishra had to get involved between both the players to let the calmer heads prevail. Although, after the match finished, Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq continued their heated argument while the players were shaking hands with each other, leading to LSG team mentor Gautam Gambhir taking matters into his own hands too.

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WATCH: 5 worst fights on the cricket field