Cricket is often called a funny old game. While known for its elegance and nuanced complexity, cricket has also produced some truly amusing and meme-worthy incidents over the years. According to international sports news cricket, let’s revisit 10 of the funniest events in cricket history that left fans, commentators and even the players in splits!
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The Ball Hits The Stumps, But The Bails Don’t Come Off!
Cricket fans have seen this happen often – the bowler sends down a cracking delivery, beats the batsman and hits the stumps but the bails stay inexplicably glued to the stumps! This can be frustrating for the bowler but provides some comic relief for the spectators. Two of the funniest such incidents occurred during games in 2004 and 2014.
In 2004, Australian speedster Michael Kasprowicz was bowling to Zimbabwe’s Douglas Hondo and rattled his stumps with a searing yorker. The impact broke the stumps but the zing bails refused to budge an inch. Hondo had a bemused look on his face while Kasprowicz held his hands aloft in disbelief thinking he had his man.
A similar incident took place during an IPL 2014 clash between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. Bowler James Neesham delivered a fine leg-cutter that beat the batsman and crashed into the stumps. The middle stump was uprooted but the illuminated zing bails did not dislodge, leaving all players dumbfounded and the commentators giggling.
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Runouts Turned Hilarious By Fielding Gaffes
Run-out mix-ups often end up creating comedy gold thanks to fielding lapses. One such memorable incident happened during a 2005 ODI between South Africa and Zimbabwe. South African Jonty Rhodes, renowned for his athletic fielding, pulled off a gravity-defying dive to prevent a boundary. However, he could not stop the ball cleanly and ended up somersaulting wildly before landing flat on his back in an inverted position. His athletic effort delighted the fans but the end result was an epic fail that got everyone laughing.
In another ODI, West Indian fielder Winston Davis pretended to break the stumps in mock anger after Pakistan’s last wicket pair hit the winning runs. In a fit of passion, he picked up and threw the stumps down, not realizing those were the actual stumps! The umpires had to step in to resolve the confusion over whether the match had actually ended. Davis’ goof-up left the spectators in splits.
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The Streaker Moment!
Cricket fans love the occasional pitch invasion when a rogue spectator known as a streaker runs into the field in the nude, disrupting the proceedings. One such hilarious incident happened during an ODI between Australia and New Zealand in 2010. A naked man suddenly ran across the Adelaide Oval, evading the security guards much to the amusement of a laughing Adam Gilchrist who was mic’d up. The commentary box also burst into peals of laughter seeing the man somersault hilariously before the guards caught him. The streaker was fined $5500 but gave the fans a moment of absurd entertainment!
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Mike Gatting’s Nose Gets Rearranged!
Some cricket injuries can be quite gruesome but also unintentionally funny for the viewers. England batsman Mike Gatting’s encounter with an unusual delivery from Malcolm Marshall in a 1988 County Championship game was exactly that. Facing Marshall’s vicious bouncer, Gatting tried ducking but the ball smashed into his nose, breaking it comprehensively. Gatting’s rearranged nose made for a comical sight as he walked off the field. Marshall himself could not help laughing later saying “The ball was there, it’s not my fault his nose got in the way!”
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The Time a Pigeon Wouldn’t Budge!
Cricket fans have gotten used to seagulls nonchalantly strutting on the field, but this 1975 Test match saw an unlikely pitch invader. During the first Test between England and Australia at Lord’s, a pigeon perched itself casually on the stumps at the batsman’s end. It refused to budge even as the fielders tried shooing it away. The pigeon’s antics left players and fans giggling at this absurd scene. The bird finally flew off on its own leaving the bowler Geoff Arnold to resume play.
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When the Box Fell Down!
Cricketers wear an abdominal guard known as a box to protect their crown jewels. But Irish batsman John Mooney suffered a wardrobe malfunction during a 2009 T20 World Cup match when his box fell out of his pants and onto the pitch! This got the commentators laughing uncontrollably while Mooney himself looked embarrassed. He tried to fix it back in but the box would slide out comically every time. Fellow Irish players were also left in splits seeing Mooney’s uncomfortable situation.
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The Time the Umpire Forgot How Many Balls!
Umpires play a key role in cricket but they are also human and can make hilarious gaffes at times. One such incident occurred during a 2005 Test between England and Australia at Lord’s. Umpire Billy Bowden momentarily lost count of how many balls had been bowled in the over. This forced him to actually use his fingers to frantically count “One, two, three” out loud before signaling the third delivery, leaving players and fans chuckling.
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When the Cellphone Went Off in Kiran More’s Pocket!
Wicket-keeper Kiran More suffered an awkward moment during a 1992 India-England Test when his cell phone rang loudly in his trousers while he was standing up to the stumps. This was before cell phones became commonplace. The ringtone disrupted play and More was left red-faced as he fished the phone out to switch it off. The incident left his teammates and the fans giggling at this unexpected technology intervention.
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The Steve Waugh-Herschelle Gibbs Dropped Catch Saga
Some incidents attain legendary status like Gibbs dropping Waugh in the 1999 World Cup and the latter’s famous line “You’ve just dropped the World Cup mate!”. Gibbs, attempting a flick off Waugh, caught the ball but in excitement tossed it up to celebrate only to see it land inches away from his grasp. A livid Waugh said those immortal words and indeed Australia went on to win the trophy after that reprieve. Gibbs’ embarrassing faux pas and Waugh’s prediction became a hilarious turning point of the 1999 World Cup.
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Kevin Pietersen Slips Hilariously While Avoiding a Ball
Pietersen usually lit up the cricket field with his flamboyant batting skills. But the brash batsman also had a comical moment during a 2010 Test against Pakistan when he tried avoiding a rising delivery from Mohammed Asif. He lost balance in an effort to sway out of the ball’s way and ended up slipping and falling on his backside in an awkward jumble of limbs. This became an amusing and much-memed moment that still elicits laughter from fans who watched it live.
Conclusion
From crazy fielding and batting blunders to animals on the field and wardrobe malfunctions, cricket has seen its fair share of hilarity over the decades. As per latest international cricket news, these amusing moments reveal the funny side of gentlemen’s game providing comic relief for fans and joyful absurdity in contrast with cricket’s serious image. It just goes to show that cricket can be quite a rib-tickling sport when it wants to be!
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