Cricket News
Five moments in cricket when crowd’s angry behaviour halted a match
The reaction of fans to a particular game isn’t always merry.
Watching a game of cricket in a jam-packed stadium is a dream of every cricket fan. The atmosphere of a stadium makes a match even more enjoyable with the crowd giving reactions to all the moments on the field. However, the reaction of fans to a particular game isn’t always merry.
The crowd can even go wild with anger when their favourite team doesn’t perform well. There have been several instances on a cricket field where the players had to face the fury of the crowd. Let’s take a look at five of those moments:
1. India vs Sri Lanka 1996 World Cup Semi-Final at Kolkata
India vs Sri Lanka 1996 WC Semi-Final (Source: Twitter)
The stage was all set for India to enter their second world cup final after their victory in 1983. India needed to chase down 252 against Sri Lanka in the first semi-final. They got off to a great start with Sachin Tendulkar looking in good touch at the score of 98/1. However, Tendulkar’s dismissal sparked a dramatic collapse that saw India reeling at 120/8 in no time.
The Kolkata crowd got furious with India’s batting effort in the all-important game. They began throwing bottles in the ground and even set a particular section in the stands on fire. Seeing the situation getting out of hand, match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the game to Sri Lanka and they further went on to lift the World Cup. The memories of the 1996 WC semi-final are still fresh in the players’ minds with many calling it the most outrageous behaviour by any crowd ever.
2 India vs South Africa 2nd T2OI at Cuttack, 2015
India vs South Africa 2nd T20I, 2015 (Source: Twitter)
The South African team were on a full-fledged tour of India in October 2015. The tour began with a three-match T20I series. South Africa had won the first T2oI and were on the course of registering a series win in the second match. They bundled out India for 92 runs in their innings and were all set to chase it down. However, seeing team India’s performance, the crowd unleashed their wrath and began throwing bottles on the play-field.
The situation got out of control and the match was resumed only after the anger of the crowd was quelled. Once the match resumed, South Africa registered a six-wicket victory and got the series under their belt.
3. India vs Pakistan, Asian Test Championship 1st Match, at Kolkata 1999
India vs Pakistan 1999 Test (Source: Twitter)
Whenever India and Pakistan clash on the cricket field there’s some extra bit of excitement among the crowd. Back in 1999, there was another epic clash between the two nations. In the first match of the Asian Test Championship, India were set a target of 279 in the fourth innings and were cruising at 143/2. However, a runout incident turned the match on its head. India’s star batter Sachin Tendulkar had a collision with Shoaib Akhtar who was collecting the ball at the stumps which resulted in his runout.
The incident infuriated the crowd at the Eden Gardens who thought that Pakistan had cheated to get Tendulkar out. The crowd began throwing stones and hurling abuses at Pakistan players. The match had to be stopped and Tendulkar had to go around the crowd asking the crowd to calm down. The match resumed after most of the stands were emptied and Pakistan emerged victorious by 46 runs.
4. Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Asia Cup 2022
Afghanistan vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2022 (Source: Twitter)
The Match 4 in the super four stage of the ongoing Asia Cup was the most thrilling game of the tournament. The game held tremendous importance for both Afghanistan and India as Pakistan’s victory in the match would’ve shut the doors of the final for both teams.
Chasing 130 to win, Pakistan had a dramatic collapse from 87/3 to 118/9. With 11 needed off the final over, everyone was backing Afghanistan to cause a major upset and keep the tournament alive. However, Naseem Shah had other plans as he smashed consecutive sixes off the first two balls and won the game for Pakistan. There was an incident between Asif Ali and Fareed Ahmed where the two got involved in a physical altercation at the pitch.
The soaring temperatures at the pitch seemed to have gone into the minds of the fans in the stadium as well as they began fighting among themselves after the match. The video of the incident went viral after the match where the fans could be seen breaking the seats and hurling them at each other.
5. Chennai vs Kolkata, Indian T20 League 2018 at M.Chidambaram Stadium
Chennai vs Kolkata, Indian T20 League 2018 (Source: Twitter)
The Chennai team were returning to their home ground after a gap of two years. People thronged the stadium to see the most popular team in the league back in action. However, the team didn’t receive the welcome they expected as shoes were hurled at the players inside the stadium.
There were widespread protests going against the hosting of the match in the state as it was struggling with the drought-like situation and could not afford to host matches. During the match, shoes were thrown at the ground which were picked by Faf Du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja. The play was halted for a while but was resumed soon. Chennai went on to win the match chasing a target of 203 with one ball to spare.
