England vs Australia
8-12 July 2009
England survived the final session with last pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar at the crease. Australia were convinced they had Anderson LBW but the appeal was turned down.
Australia (internal incident)
7 January 2009
Simon Katich grabbed Michael Clarke by the throat in the Australian dressing room after Clarke wanted to leave before the team victory song.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
3 March 2009
Twelve armed gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team bus near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, injuring six players and killing eight people, ending international cricket in Pakistan for nearly a decade.
Pakistan vs Various
3 March 2009
After the 2009 Lahore attack, Pakistan was forced to play its home matches in the UAE for nearly a decade, at enormous financial and emotional cost to the country's cricket.
Australia vs India
2-6 January 2008
One of the most controversial Tests ever — terrible umpiring decisions, racial abuse allegations, and India threatening to abandon the tour.
England vs New Zealand
June 2008
Kevin Pietersen's revolutionary switch hit raised questions about LBW law, wide calls, and field placement when a batsman changes from right to left-handed mid-delivery.
Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab
25 April 2008
Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth after an IPL match, leaving Sreesanth in tears on the field. Harbhajan was banned for the remainder of the IPL season.
Australia vs India
17 January 2008
A young Ishant Sharma bowled a magical spell to Ricky Ponting at Perth, laughing at the Australian captain after beating him repeatedly.
Australia vs India
6 January 2008
Andrew Symonds accused Harbhajan Singh of calling him a 'monkey' during the infamous Sydney Test, triggering one of cricket's biggest racial controversies.
West Indies
15 May 2008
West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels was banned for two years by the ICC for providing information to a bookmaker during a series against India in 2007.
New Zealand / ICL
1 October 2008
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum reported that teammate Chris Cairns had approached him about match fixing during the Indian Cricket League in 2008.
Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab
25 April 2008
Harbhajan Singh was caught on camera slapping Sreesanth after an IPL match, leading to Harbhajan's suspension and a tearful Sreesanth becoming a viral image.
England vs New Zealand
2008-06-15
Kevin Pietersen stunned cricket by switching from right-handed to left-handed mid-delivery to smash Scott Styris for six, effectively inventing the 'switch hit.'
Australia vs India
2008-03-27
Andrew Symonds flattened a streaker who ran onto the field during an ODI, shoulder-charging him with the force of a rugby player and sending him sprawling.
Australia vs India
2008-01-06
Steve Bucknor's string of poor decisions in the infamous 2008 Sydney Test became so comically one-sided that even neutral fans were laughing in disbelief.
Multiple IPL Franchises
18 April 2008
The Indian Premier League, launched in 2008 by Lalit Modi, revolutionized cricket's commercial model with city-based franchise T20 cricket, creating enormous wealth but also concerns about corruption, player prioritization, and the future of international cricket.
India vs Various / ICC Governance
24 November 2008
India refused to use the Decision Review System for nearly eight years after its introduction, citing concerns about the technology's reliability, while critics accused the BCCI of blocking progress.
Australia vs India
6 January 2008
Harbhajan Singh was accused of racially abusing Andrew Symonds during the Sydney Test, leading to India threatening to abandon the tour and one of the ugliest diplomatic incidents in cricket history.
Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians
25 April 2008
Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth after an IPL match in 2008, with Sreesanth photographed crying on the field, in one of the most infamous player-on-player incidents in cricket history.
Pakistan U19
1 March 2008
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif publicly alleged that age fraud was rampant in Pakistan U19 cricket, claiming some players in the system were five or more years overage.
Australia vs South Africa
25 April 2007
South Africa's World Cup semi-final against Australia was affected by rain and bad light, with DLS calculations and umpiring decisions combining to produce a controversial result.
Pakistan (internal incident)
15 June 2007
Shoaib Akhtar allegedly struck teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat in the dressing room during the 2007 World T20, leading to his expulsion from the squad.
South Africa vs Pakistan
11 January 2007
Andre Nel sledged Shoaib Akhtar aggressively, only for Shoaib to smash him for a massive six off the next ball, then mimic Nel's aggressive celebrations.
India vs England
2007-09-19
Yuvraj Singh hit Stuart Broad for six consecutive sixes in a single over during the 2007 T20 World Cup, the fastest fifty in T20I history.
Bermuda vs India
2007-03-19
Bermuda's 20-stone Dwayne Leverock defied physics to take a spectacular one-handed diving catch at slip, then celebrated like he'd won the World Cup.
Sri Lanka vs Various
2007-03-23
Lasith Malinga's unique round-arm slinging action, combined with his wild curly hair, made him one of cricket's most visually entertaining bowlers.
England vs India
2007-09-05
Just days after Yuvraj Singh's six sixes, Dimitri Mascarenhas hit five sixes off one Yuvraj Singh over in an ODI, in a delicious irony that cricket fans loved.
Pakistan (coaching staff)
18 March 2007
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room in Kingston, Jamaica, the day after Pakistan's shock elimination from the 2007 World Cup, sparking a murder investigation and wild conspiracy theories.
ICL (Zee) vs IPL (BCCI)
30 November 2007
The Indian Cricket League, backed by Zee TV's Subhash Chandra, was crushed by the BCCI's retaliatory creation of the IPL, with ICL players banned from all official cricket in a brutal display of institutional power.
England vs Pakistan
17-20 August 2006
Umpire Darrell Hair accused Pakistan of ball tampering. Pakistan refused to take the field after tea, and the match was forfeited — the first forfeiture in Test history.
England vs Pakistan
2006
Inzamam-ul-Haq was given out 'handled the ball' in a Test match after instinctively swatting the ball away from his stumps, one of cricket's rarest dismissals.
England vs Pakistan
20 August 2006
Pakistan forfeited a Test match at The Oval after umpire Darrell Hair penalized them five runs for ball tampering, leading to Pakistan refusing to take the field.
England vs Various
2006-03-01
England spinner Monty Panesar became famous for his spectacularly poor fielding, with his attempts to stop the ball providing more entertainment than many batsmen.
Australia vs Various
2006-01-01
Matthew Hayden's increasingly large bats prompted rival teams to joke about their size and eventually led to ICC regulations on bat dimensions.
Australia vs England
2006-12-16
Adam Gilchrist revealed after his match-winning 57-ball century in the Adelaide Ashes Test that he'd been batting with a squash ball in his glove to improve his grip.
South Africa vs Australia
2006-03-12
Australia scored a world-record 434/4 in an ODI and thought they'd won — then South Africa chased it down with 438/9, producing the greatest and most absurd ODI ever.
Bangladesh vs Australia
2006-04-10
Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, sent in as nightwatchman, refused to get out and scored 201* — the only double century by a nightwatchman in Test history.
England vs Pakistan
20 August 2006
Umpire Darrell Hair penalized Pakistan five runs for ball tampering and changed the ball during the fourth Test at The Oval, leading Pakistan to refuse to take the field and becoming the first team to forfeit a Test match.
Pakistan
1 November 2006
Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, the first man to bowl at 100 mph, was banned for two years after testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone, though the ban was later overturned on appeal.
England vs Australia
4-7 August 2005
Michael Kasprowicz was given out caught behind in one of the closest Ashes matches ever, but replays suggested his glove was off the bat handle when the ball hit it.
New Zealand vs Australia
13 February 2005
The first-ever T20 International featured debates about the width of the wide line in the shorter format, setting the stage for years of inconsistency in T20 umpiring.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
March 2005
Billy Bowden gave a controversial LBW decision that was criticized for being rushed, with the ball appearing to be missing the stumps by some margin.
England vs Australia
4 August 2005
Andrew Flintoff engaged in relentless verbal and physical intimidation of Ricky Ponting throughout the iconic 2005 Ashes series.
England vs Australia
25 August 2005
Brett Lee and Andrew Flintoff engaged in an intense physical battle throughout the 2005 Ashes, with both players targeting each other with short-pitched bowling.
England vs Australia
2005-08-25
Unknown substitute fielder Gary Pratt ran out Ricky Ponting with a direct hit, triggering an epic tantrum from Ponting who ranted at the England dressing room as he walked off.
Australia vs Various
2005-09-12
Ricky Ponting's volcanic temper produced some of cricket's most entertaining meltdowns, from umpire confrontations to dressing room blow-ups.
Pakistan vs Various
2005-01-01
Inzamam-ul-Haq's legendary lack of pace between the wickets produced some of cricket's most comically slow run-outs.
England vs Australia
2005-08-04
Glenn McGrath missed the pivotal Edgbaston Ashes Test after stepping on a cricket ball during the warm-up, changing the course of the 2005 Ashes.
India (internal)
6 October 2005
India coach Greg Chappell's leaked email to the BCCI recommending Ganguly's removal as captain created a massive controversy that split Indian cricket and eventually led to Ganguly being dropped entirely.
England vs Australia
4 August 2005
Ricky Ponting was furious after being run out by England substitute fielder Gary Pratt during the 2005 Ashes, accusing England of abusing the substitute fielder rule to gain an unfair tactical advantage.
India vs Pakistan
28 March - 1 April 2004
Sachin Tendulkar was controversially declared caught behind for 194 when replays suggested the ball may not have hit his bat, denying him a double century in Pakistan.
India vs Pakistan
16 March 2004
Shoaib Akhtar and Virender Sehwag had epic confrontations across multiple India-Pakistan matches, with Shoaib's raw pace against Sehwag's fearless counter-attack.
India vs Australia
20 January 2004
Indian batsman Rahul Dravid was caught on camera applying what appeared to be a lozenge or cough sweet to the ball during the Adelaide Test against Australia.
Kenya
1 September 2004
Kenyan all-rounder Maurice Odumbe was banned for five years by the ICC for having an unexplained relationship with a bookmaker.
England vs South Africa
26 July 2004
South Africa were accused of ball tampering during the third Test against England at The Oval in 2004, with the ball being replaced by umpires.
New Zealand vs South Africa
2004-03-12
New Zealand opener Mark Richardson celebrated his Test centuries with a pre-planned robotic dance routine that became one of cricket's most endearing traditions.
India vs England
1 March 2003
Sachin Tendulkar was given out LBW off a ball that appeared to be going well over the stumps, sparking outrage among Indian fans.
Australia vs India
23 March 2003
Ricky Ponting survived a caught-behind appeal early in his innings during the 2003 World Cup Final. He went on to score 140 as Australia demolished India.
India vs Kenya
18 March 2003
Steve Bucknor's umpiring during the 2003 World Cup reinforced his reputation as an umpire who frequently made errors in high-profile matches involving India.
India vs Pakistan
1 March 2003
In the 2003 World Cup India-Pakistan match, Sachin Tendulkar was bowled by Shoaib Akhtar early in his innings, but Pakistan failed to appeal for an LBW earlier, and there were claims Akhtar was overstepping throughout.
West Indies vs Australia
25 April 2003
McGrath sledged Sarwan about his personal life. Sarwan reportedly responded with a comment about McGrath's wife Jane, who was battling cancer at the time.
Australia vs Various
2 January 2003
Ricky Ponting was frequently involved in heated arguments with umpires throughout his career, often pointing his finger and showing visible dissent.
Pakistan vs Various
1 March 2003
Pakistan captain Waqar Younis came under scrutiny during the 2003 World Cup for bowling an unusually high number of no-balls, raising suspicions of spot-fixing.
Australia
11 February 2003
Shane Warne was sent home from the 2003 World Cup after testing positive for a banned diuretic, receiving a one-year ban from cricket.
Various
2003-02-01
New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden became famous for his flamboyant, theatrical umpiring style including his signature 'crooked finger of doom' dismissal.
Pakistan vs England
2003-02-22
Shoaib Akhtar broke the 100mph barrier in the 2003 World Cup and celebrated with his trademark chain-ripping, arms-spread theatrics that were as entertaining as the delivery itself.
Zimbabwe
10 February 2003
Zimbabwe players Andy Flower and Henry Olonga wore black armbands during the 2003 World Cup to mourn 'the death of democracy' in Zimbabwe, in a courageous protest against Robert Mugabe's regime.
Kenya
20 March 2003
Kenya's fairy-tale run to the 2003 World Cup semi-final was followed by decades of mismanagement, corruption, and ICC neglect that reduced them from genuine contenders to cricketing irrelevance.
England vs Zimbabwe (forfeited)
13 February 2003
England refused to play their 2003 World Cup group match in Harare, Zimbabwe, citing security and political concerns related to the Mugabe regime, forfeiting crucial points that contributed to their early elimination.
India vs England
13 July 2002
Sourav Ganguly removed his shirt and waved it from the Lord's balcony after India's dramatic NatWest Trophy victory, in response to Andrew Flintoff's similar act in Mumbai.
New Zealand vs England
2002-03-15
Nathan Astle scored the fastest double century in Test history in just 153 balls, turning an impossible chase into cricket's most entertaining assault on bowling.
Pakistan vs New Zealand
8 May 2002
New Zealand abandoned their tour of Pakistan in 2002 after a bomb blast outside their hotel in Karachi killed 14 people, marking one of the earliest security-related disruptions to international cricket.
India vs Australia
11-15 March 2001
Several contentious LBW decisions went both ways during India's historic follow-on victory against Australia in Kolkata 2001, one of the greatest Tests ever played.
Zimbabwe vs Australia
5 June 2001
Shane Warne was left seething after Zimbabwe's Dougie Marillier repeatedly scooped him over the keeper's head for boundaries, winning the match for Zimbabwe.
Various
1 May 2001
Sir Paul Condon's landmark report for the ICC confirmed that match fixing was a global problem in cricket, leading to the establishment of the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.
India vs South Africa
16 November 2001
Sachin Tendulkar was charged with ball tampering by match referee Mike Denness during a Test in South Africa, causing a diplomatic crisis between India and the ICC.
Somerset vs Leicestershire
2001-09-01
Leicestershire's Scott Boswell delivered one of cricket's worst bowling performances in a Lord's final, spraying the ball everywhere in a performance that became legendary for all the wrong reasons.
India vs South Africa
20 November 2001
Match referee Mike Denness charged Sachin Tendulkar with ball tampering and imposed bans on six Indian players after the Port Elizabeth Test, leading India to demand Denness' removal and nearly causing a diplomatic crisis.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
15 June 2000
Waqar Younis was found guilty of ball tampering during an ODI against Sri Lanka after he was caught scratching the ball to generate reverse swing.
South Africa vs Various
7 April 2000
South African captain Hansie Cronje was found guilty of match fixing after Delhi Police intercepted phone calls between Cronje and an Indian bookmaker, Sanjay Chawla.
South Africa vs England
18 January 2000
Hansie Cronje engineered a contrived result at Centurion after rain had washed out most of the Test, later revealed to have been done at the behest of a bookmaker in exchange for a leather jacket and cash.
India vs Various
5 December 2000
Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin was banned for life by the BCCI after the CBI found evidence of his involvement in match fixing, based on revelations from the Hansie Cronje investigation.
India vs Various
5 December 2000
Indian all-rounder Ajay Jadeja was banned for five years by the BCCI after the CBI investigation found evidence of his links with bookmakers.
Pakistan vs Various
23 May 2000
Pakistani batsman Saleem Malik became the first international cricketer to be banned for life for match fixing, after Justice Qayyum's inquiry found him guilty of offering bribes to Australian players.
South Africa vs India
19 March 2000
Hansie Cronje offered Herschelle Gibbs $15,000 to score fewer than 20 runs in an ODI against India. Gibbs agreed but then scored 74, failing to carry out the fix.
Pakistan vs Various
1 May 2000
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram was named in the Justice Qayyum report as being unable to be exonerated from match-fixing allegations, though he escaped a ban.
Pakistan vs Various
23 May 2000
Pakistani fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman received a life ban following the Qayyum Commission findings, becoming the second Pakistani cricketer banned for life along with Saleem Malik.
South Africa vs India
9 March 2000
Delhi Police intercepted phone calls revealing Hansie Cronje had been in contact with bookmaker Sanjay Chawla during the 2000 India tour of South Africa, sparking the global match-fixing crisis.
India
5 December 2000
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin was banned for life from cricket after a CBI investigation found he had been involved in match-fixing, ending the career of one of India's most stylish batsmen.