South Africa's fiery fast bowler famous for his over-the-top celebrations and heated sledging exchanges, particularly with Shoaib Akhtar.
61 incidents documented
IPL franchise match
8 April 2026
David Miller inexplicably refused an obvious single on the penultimate ball, then failed to score on the last ball, costing his team a match they lost by 1 run.
Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans
22 April 2025
On 22 April 2025, fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi walked out to bat in the IPL and proceeded to massacre an international bowling attack for 101* off 38 balls. The maths were absurd — the bowlers he faced had played more Test matches than he had lived years.
Mumbai Indians
April 2024
Hardik Pandya was relentlessly booed by his own Mumbai Indians home crowd throughout IPL 2024, one of the most extraordinary cases of a captain being rejected by his own fans — stemming from his replacement of the beloved Rohit Sharma as captain.
Afghanistan U19 / ICC
January–February 2024
Afghanistan's Under-19 team's participation in the 2024 U19 World Cup in South Africa generated controversy given the Taliban government's domestic restrictions on youth sport — raising the same governance questions at youth level that the senior men's team's continued ICC participation had already raised.
England vs Australia
28 June - 2 July 2023
Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow after he wandered out of his crease assuming the ball was dead. The dismissal at Lord's caused a furious reaction from the MCC members.
England vs Australia
2 July 2023
Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow as he wandered out of his crease assuming the ball was dead, sparking a massive 'Spirit of Cricket' controversy.
ICC vs Cricket Tradition
2022-10-01
The MCC's 2022 decision to move the Mankad dismissal from 'unfair play' to 'run-out' — legitimising it as a normal dismissal — ended 75 years of treating the mode of dismissal as a violation of cricket's spirit, provoking fierce debate about tradition versus tactical legitimacy.
England vs Pakistan
5-9 August 2020
Play was stopped for bad light despite the availability of floodlights, frustrating fans and players as Pakistan pushed for a result.
Pakistan
27 April 2020
Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal was banned for three years (later reduced to 18 months) by the PCB for failing to report match-fixing approaches on multiple occasions.
India vs Various
2019-06-16
MS Dhoni's stump microphone picked up his constant instructions, tactical chatter, and hilarious commentary from behind the stumps, entertaining fans worldwide.
Australia vs England (Women)
2019-02-14
Ellyse Perry made 213 not out — the highest score ever in a Women's Ashes Test — while also taking 7 wickets in the match to produce the greatest all-round performance in Women's Test history.
Australia vs South Africa
24 March 2018
David Warner had to be physically restrained after charging at Quinton de Kock in a staircase at Kingsmead, reportedly after de Kock made comments about Warner's wife Candice.
Australia vs Pakistan
2017-01-03
Azhar Ali was run out in the most bizarre fashion after assuming the ball was dead and wandering out of his crease for a chat, only for Australia to whip off the bails.
South Africa vs Australia
2016-11-12
A cricket ball got stuck in the grille of a batsman's helmet, creating complete confusion as nobody knew what the rules were for such an unprecedented situation.
West Indies / Various IPL
2016-04-03
Dwayne Bravo released a calypso song called 'Champion' and performed the dance after every wicket, making it one of cricket's most infectious and entertaining celebrations.
South Africa vs New Zealand
24 March 2015
AB de Villiers was given out run out by the third umpire on a genuinely inconclusive decision. South Africa lost in heartbreaking fashion — Dale Steyn conceding the winning six to Grant Elliott off the final ball.
England vs Australia
2015-09-13
Ben Stokes was given out for 'obstructing the field' after raising his hand to protect himself from a throw, becoming only the 7th player in ODI history to be dismissed that way.
New Zealand vs South Africa
2015-03-24
Grant Elliott hit Dale Steyn for six to win the 2015 World Cup semi-final, ending South Africa's 'choking' curse in the most dramatic way possible before helping the devastated Steyn to his feet.
England vs India
17 July 2014
Virat Kohli and James Anderson had intense verbal exchanges throughout the 2014 series in England, with Kohli accusing Anderson of being abusive and disrespectful.
India, Australia, England vs Rest of Cricket World
8 February 2014
India, Australia, and England pushed through a radical ICC restructuring that gave them a vastly disproportionate share of revenue and governance power, undermining smaller cricketing nations.
West Indies U19
15 February 2014
A group of West Indies U19 players staged a walkout during a regional youth tournament, protesting poor accommodation, inadequate food, and substandard playing facilities.
South Africa vs Various
3 January 2013
Dale Steyn was known for his aggressive celebrations and confrontational send-offs, frequently getting in batsmen's faces after dismissing them.
South Africa vs Pakistan
15 October 2013
Faf du Plessis was caught on camera rubbing the ball against the zipper of his trouser pocket during a Test against Pakistan, constituting ball tampering.
Australia vs England
2013-12-08
James Anderson, cricket's most lethal number 11 batsman, produced various comedy batting moments throughout his career, including frustrated bat throws and bizarre dismissals.
Essex County Cricket Club
20 June 2012
Pakistani leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was found guilty of spot-fixing while playing for Essex in county cricket, having encouraged teammate Mervyn Westfield to underperform in exchange for payment.
South Africa
13 June 2012
South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell admitted to meeting a bookmaker during the IPL but claimed he did not engage in any corrupt activity.
South Africa / IPL franchise
1 May 2012
South African batsman JP Duminy reported that he was approached by a suspected bookmaker during IPL 2012, and was praised for following proper reporting procedures.
Sri Lanka vs India
2010-07-22
Murali needed one wicket to reach 800 in his final Test but kept being denied, creating incredible tension before Pragyan Ojha finally became his 800th victim with the last ball.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
England vs Australia
4 August 2005
Steve Harmison's bouncer struck Ricky Ponting on the cheekguard of his helmet at Edgbaston in 2005, drawing blood that ran visibly down Ponting's face. The image of the Australian captain batting on with blood dripping from his cheek became one of the 2005 Ashes' most iconic moments — symbolising England's refusal to be intimidated.
ICC vs Tactical Loopholes
2005-01-01
Cricket's substitute fielder rules were tightened significantly in 2007 after teams began using 'injury' substitutes as tactical fielding upgrades — replacing batsmen with athletic fielders during the opposition's batting innings — exposing a loophole that fundamentally undermined the principle that 11 players compete against 11 players.
England vs Australia
2005-08-07
After England won the second Ashes Test by 2 runs — the narrowest Ashes victory in history — Andrew Flintoff walked to Brett Lee, who sat dejected on the pitch, knelt beside him and consoled him. The photograph became cricket's most iconic image of sportsmanship.
India vs Pakistan
2004-03-13
Shoaib Akhtar's personal targeting of Yuvraj Singh with bouncers and hostile pace during the 2004 India-Pakistan ODI series — including multiple deliveries at 150km/h+ aimed at the young left-hander's chest — created a confrontation that established Yuvraj's reputation for fearlessness against fast bowling.
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.
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.
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 Australia
1998-01-24
The 1998 India-Australia Test series produced the greatest sustained individual duel in cricket history — Sachin Tendulkar vs Shane Warne — with Tendulkar making 446 runs in the three-Test series, including 155 not out and 177, dominating the world's greatest bowler on his home grounds.
India vs Pakistan
15 September 1997
Inzamam-ul-Haq climbed into the crowd with a bat to confront a spectator who had been abusing him during the Sahara Cup match in Toronto.
England vs Australia
1997-06-05
Glenn McGrath's 8/38 at Edgbaston in 1997 — the finest bowling performance of the Ashes series — included the repeated dismissal of Michael Atherton through metronomic accuracy outside off stump that reduced England's best batsman to helplessness.
England vs Various
1997-01-01
Phil 'The Cat' Tufnell was so bad at fielding that his nickname was ironic — he earned it for his ability to sleep anywhere, not for his agility.
India vs Pakistan
15 October 1997
Inzamam-ul-Haq charged into the crowd with a bat after being persistently taunted by an Indian spectator with a megaphone during a Sahara Cup match in Toronto.
India vs Sri Lanka
13 March 1996
The 1996 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens was abandoned after Indian fans rioted, hurling bottles and setting fires when India's batting collapsed against Sri Lanka's spinners.
West Indies vs Australia
28 April 1995
Curtly Ambrose got in Steve Waugh's face after being told to go back to his mark. Richie Richardson had to pull Ambrose away. Ambrose then bowled a devastating spell.
West Indies vs Australia
21 April 1995
Curtly Ambrose got face-to-face with Steve Waugh during the 1995 Trinidad Test after Waugh told him to 'get back to the f***ing crease.' Ambrose had to be physically restrained by WI captain Richie Richardson. Ambrose channelled his fury into taking 7/25 — one of the greatest hostile fast-bowling spells in Test history.
West Indies vs India
November 1994
Through the early-to-mid 1990s, before neutral umpires became mandatory, home umpires in India consistently turned down LBW appeals against Indian batsmen. Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were repeatedly denied. The era became a key argument for neutral umpires.
ICC vs Fast Bowling Ethics
1994-01-01
The 1994 ICC rule limiting short-pitched bowling — defining persistent intimidatory use as unfair play and giving umpires power to warn and remove bowlers — responded to the West Indian four-pace-attack era that had made batting genuinely dangerous throughout the 1980s.
Australia vs Various
28 December 1991
Merv Hughes was legendary for his creative and often hilarious sledging, engaging in memorable verbal battles with Javed Miandad, Viv Richards, and many others.
Australia
1989-05-01
David Boon allegedly consumed 52 cans of beer on the flight from Australia to England for the 1989 Ashes series, setting a legendary drinking record.
Australia vs Pakistan
27 March 1982
Beyond the famous kicking incident, Miandad and Lillee had a vicious running feud spanning years, filled with verbal abuse and mutual loathing.
Australia vs India
7 February 1981
Sunil Gavaskar was given out LBW to Dennis Lillee off a ball that clearly hit his bat first. He was so furious he tried to take his batting partner Chetan Chauhan off the field with him.
England vs Various
1981-07-21
Ian 'Beefy' Botham's off-field escapades were as legendary as his on-field heroics, making him cricket's original rock star.
West Indies vs England
1979-06-23
Viv Richards made 138 not out — the highest score in a World Cup final until 2003 — as West Indies defended their 1975 title by beating England at Lord's in a match that confirmed West Indian dominance of world cricket.
Multiple (WSC vs Establishment Cricket)
24 November 1977
Media mogul Kerry Packer signed 51 of the world's best cricketers to a rival competition after being denied TV broadcast rights, fundamentally transforming professional cricket.
West Indies vs various
1975-06-01
Clive Lloyd captained West Indies from 1974 to 1985 — 18 Tests unbeaten between 1980 and 1984, two World Cup wins, and the creation of the four-pace-bowler strategy that dominated Test cricket for a decade and permanently changed how cricket is played.
England vs Australia
1948-06-10
Alec Bedser's unique ability to dismiss Don Bradman — cricket's greatest batsman — using a specifically designed leg-trap inswinger made Bedser the only bowler to develop and sustain a consistent plan for dismissing Bradman in the post-war period.