Cricket News
Top 5 Biggest Feuds Among Teammates That Came Out Ugly In Public
Sometimes, feuds among teammates came out ugly to the public.
Cricket is a game where teamwork is important. Contributions from all three departments are necessary for managing a good result. Hence, teammates are also crucial for managing a better atmosphere within the team.
But, sometimes, it has been found that teammates got involved in ugly fights or feuds. Even, the respective boards failed to handle such issues properly. As a result, those feuds came out pretty badly in front of the public.
Here are the top 5 biggest feuds among teammates that came out ugly in the public
Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior
Both these players are known for their fantastic cricketing abilities. However, they got involved in a feud that came out in public badly. During his playing days, Pietersen fell out with Matt Prior. In his autobiography, Kevin wrote: “It’s only Prior that I’d seriously have real issues with, because of how he was portrayed as a team man, the heart and soul of the dressing room when he was getting up to the stuff he was getting up to.”
He also added that the former England wicketkeeper was just a loudmouthed “classroom bully”. He also claimed that Prior considered double standards while dealing with him. However, in response, Prior announced that he would share his own view in the near future.
Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth
This feud between these two former Indian players is quite famous in the cricketing world. The “Slapgate” incident happened in the 2008 edition of the Indian T200 League. Harbhajan was part of the Mumbai franchise. At the same time, Sreesanth was part of the Punjab franchise. Harbhajan allegedly slapped the Punjab pacer. It happened when he went to shake his hands after the match.
However, Harbhajan faced a suspension for the rest of that season due to this incident. Later, both of them came up to the media and cleared the air. In 2013, Sreesanth also tweeted: “To be whr I am…I’ve no complaints..but now I want u All to know the truth. He (Bhajji) never Slapped me. the video will show you all..wt he did.“All blamed me for getting emotional ..??”
Michael Clarke and Simon Katich
This feud took place regarding the singing of the team song after a Test match victory at the SCG, in 2009. Several reports were that Clarke and Katich do not look into their eyes at all. However, after that match, Michael Clarke wanted to sing the song quickly to be with his girlfriend Lara Bingle. But, Katich and former captain Ricky Ponting were not happy with his actions.
Not only then, but also other senior players were not happy with him also. Meanwhile, Katich did not get any chance for the Australia team after that and he blamed some incidents that took place in the dressing room. He said: “I mean to be brutally honest obviously what happened in the dressing room here a few years ago didn’t help my cause. And obviously, the captain and coach are selectors.”
Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif
This feud came out to the public during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Both of these players came into the headlines when Shoaib Akhtar hit Mohammed Asif with a bat during a Pakistan training session. Speaking about these players, both of them served Pakistan in several matches.
Akhtar is known for his pace while Asif gets considered the most talented bowler ever in the country. But, this infamous incident took place involved them. Meanwhile, Shoaib Akhtar came out and shared his side of the story. He said: “Please don’t portray me as a villain, I am not a villain.”
Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs
During their playing days, Gibbs accused Graeme Smith of being too powerful as captain. He said that Smith used to bully then-coach Micky Arthur. Therefore, It affected dominant personalities in the dressing room. It also affected the overall game of the national team.
In response to that, Smith said: “I think it shows more about his own insecurities than anything else.” However, Gibbs did not play for South Africa again in his career. Hence, this feud between these two Proteas came out very ugly in the public. But, nothing much happened followed this.