Most Heated Moments: 5 instances when crowd mocked players on the field

Cameron Green (Photo Source: Twitter)

Fans are an integral part of cricket. Without their love and support, the game will be reduced to nothing. However, sometimes, supporters fail to control their emotions and don’t shy away from mocking players from opposite teams, to display their sides and favourite players as superior ones.

One of the infamous incidents happened in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final at The Oval, London. Following Pakistan’s victory over India, the Men in Blue were returning to the dressing room but from the stands, a Pakistani fan was seen instigating the Indian team with ‘baap kaun hai’ (who’s the father) taunt. All Indian players ignored the fan but Mohammed Shami lost his cool and got involved in a heated chat with the spectator.

To prevent the matter from getting worse, the former India skipper MS Dhoni intervened and took the pacer away from the scene. Like this infamous incident, there have been several occasions when spectators tested the patience of cricketers with their insolent behaviour.

Here are the five instances when crowd mocked players on the field

1. England crowd chants against Steve Smith in the opening Test of the Ashes 2023

Steve Smith. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The opening Test of the Ashes 2023 gave a lot of interesting moments to Test cricket fans. The intriguing contest went in Australia’s favour as the visitors walked back home victorious by two wickets. As the Edgbaston stadium was packed with the English crowd, the Australian team saw themselves at the receiving end from spectators.

In a video that went viral on social media recently, it could be witnessed that the home crowd was striving their best to instigate the Australia middle-order batter, Steve Smith, shouting, ‘Saw you crying on telly’ chants. The English crowd was taunting the veteran for breaking down in the 2018 live press conference held following his ban for the infamous ‘sandpaper gate.’

However, Smith, who had faced similar incidents earlier in England, didn’t let the chants affect him as he responded to England supporters with a smile. The Aussie batting maestro’s reaction to spectators won a lot of hearts as his fans showered praises on social media sites for his calm attitude.

2. Eden crowd goes berserk over Shoaib Akhtar in 1999 (Ind vs Pak Test match)

Shoaib Akhtar Eden Gardens. (Photo Source: ARKO DATTA/AFP via Getty Images)

The India-Pakistan rivalry is considered the best contest in the sport. In 71 years of cricket rivalry between both nations, players have delivered several great moments for fans to cheer about. In return, supporters have also showered love on players, in the form of appreciation. However, in 1999, a shameful incident happened that still embarrasses Indian fans.

In February 1999, the first game of the Asian Championship 1998-99 between India and Pakistan was played at iconic Eden Gardens. Riding on Saeed Anwar’s extraordinary knock of 188 in the second innings, the visitors tasked the hosts to chase 279 to win the game. Pursuing the total, India got a decent start with the help of opening batters Sadagopan Ramesh and VVS Laxman’s confident innings of 40 and 67 respectively.

After the fall of both openers, Sachin Tendulkar also got dismissed on Wasim Akram’s delivery after a direct run-out from Nadeem Khan. Tendulkar, who was trying to steal the third run, got obstructed as he collided with Shoaib Akhtar, which became the reason for his dismissal.

Tendulkar’s run-out caused chaos at the stadium as India fans refused to stay calm and showcased their anger by disrupting the game. Noting the seriousness of the situation, stadium authorities emptied the stadium and the match resumed after an hour with a very few spectators remaining. Following the controversy, Wasim Akram and his men handed a 46-run defeat to the Indian side.

3. Cameron Green gets teased by spectators for his catch appeal in the Ashes 2023

Barmy Army and Cameron Green. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Australia’s record hasn’t been great when it comes to playing fair cricket. Critics of the Australian team cite the example of the 2008 Sydney Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2007-08 and Sandpaper Gate to prove that the current Word Test Champions play the sport dishonestly.

In the second innings of the first Ashes Test 2023, the match got an intriguing turn with England’s batting struggle. Ben Duckett, who faced Pat Cummins in the ninth over of the second innings, got an edge towards Cameron Green, who was placed at Gully. The talented Aussie displayed his agility by completing a catch with his diving effort.

The catch was reviewed and the decision went in Australia’s favour. However, Duckett’s dismissal didn’t go well with England’s Barmy Army and they started ridiculing the Australian side with their chant, ‘same old Aussies, always cheating’.

4. Chennai’s crowd attempts to rile up Naveen ul Haq in IPL 2023 playoffs

Naveen-Ul-Haq and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter and Jio Cinema)

In the Indian Premier League 2023, a new rivalry emerged with the spat between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq in match 43. Kohli, who enjoys a huge fan following, was expected to get a lot of support from his fans after this infamous incident. During Lucknow Super Gaints’ last league match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens, the crowd mocked the Afghan player with ‘Kohli’ chants.

However, it was just the beginning as the LSG stalwart encountered with a similar incident again during the all-important Eliminator match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. This time, the Chepauk crowd tried to humiliate the pacer with similar chants.

While Naveen was fielding at the boundary, a group of Kohli supporters strived to tease him with chants. However, amidst the chants, Naveen looked completely mature and sensible as he neither lost his cool nor went after the section of fans.

5. Inzamam-ul-Haq loses his cool over an Indian fan’s ‘mota aloo’ remark

Inzamam-ul-Haq. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Inzamam-ul-Haq was known as a calm player in the Pakistan squad during his playing days. His amiable nature got him a lot of friends from the Indian cricket team. Players such as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Mohammad Kaif see the former Pakistan stalwart with respect due to his decent behaviour.

During the second One-Day International (ODI) of the Sahara Friendship Cup 1997 in Toronto, Inzamam got embroiled in an unwanted controversy. In the game, Inzamam was fielding at the boundary when an Indian fan named Shiv Kumar Thind used a megaphone and passed a derogatory comment at him.

As per reports, the spectator said: “O mote, sidha khada ho (O fatso, stand straight), mota aloo, sada aloo (fat potato, rotten potato).” Enraged by the chant, Inzamam crossed the advertisement board and broke into the stands to fight Shiv. Anyhow, other spectators sent Inzamam back onto the field but the matter got worse when the former legendary batter snatched a bat from one of the reserved players and headed towards Shiv Kumar again. The scene ended after the intervention of security staff as they succeeded in controlling angry Inzamam.