Alcoholic XI: Dream team of cricketers who landed in trouble due to alcohol

Here we take a look at a possible dream XI of such cricketers, who shamed the game with their disappointing acts outside the field after being under the influence of alcohol.

Cricket, they say, is a gentleman’s game, hence, the players are expected to behave in a dignified manner and carry themselves accordingly. However, at times, the cricketers have violated the decorum with their untoward behaviour after consuming alcohol. Some have punched fellow cricketers while some others have urinated in public; behaviour which is totally unbecoming of a sportsman. Here we take a look at a possible dream XI of such cricketers, who shamed the game with their disappointing acts outside the field after being under the influence of alcohol.

Openers:

David Warner: This Australian opener has had a dream run of late, scoring runs for his country and franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at will. He even led his Indian Premier League (IPL) side to the title win in the recently concluded season. During IPL 2016, he claimed not to have consumed alcohol for close to a year. However, things were never the same for him, as there was a time when he was struggling with form and discipline related issues. When in England for Ashes 2013, Warner punched England’s star batsman Joe Root in a bar after getting drunk. Thinking Root was making fun of Hashim Amla, the Australian opener delivered him a blow, as a result of he was dropped from Australia’s squad for 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He later apologised for his actions and promised to behave appropriately in future.

Herschelle Gibbs: By his own admission, former South African opener Gibbs wasa ‘slave’ of alcohol. As a matter of fact, his autobiography ‘To The Point’ has detailed accounts of his sexcapades as well as his troubles with alcohol and drugs. He has admitted in the book of playing games in a hungover state, as his famous match-winning 175 against Australia in the epic chase of 438 at the Wanderers in 2006 came despite a massive hangover. In 2015, Gibbs was put behind the bars for drunken driving case, when he was caught driving at a high speed in an inebriated state.

Middle Order:

Ricky Ponting (c & wk): It is hard to imagine that one of the greatest captains of all time had alcohol-related issues in the early part of his career. But that is true, as such was the gravity of the issue that Ponting was even dropped from Australia’s ODI team. After a loss against the visiting England side in Sydney in the year 1999, Ponting landed in a nightclub, only to wake up in the team hotel next morning with a black eye. So drunk was he that night that he had absolutely no idea of the series of events that happened on that fateful night. However, Ponting vowed to fight the menace of alcohol and successfully got rid of it.

PS. Though Ponting never kept wickets for Australia or Tasmania, he put on the gloves in early part of his career during pre-season matches and also practice sessions. Interestingly, in his early days, his coach at Tasmania Greg Shipperd had publicly suggested that Ponting could be selected as a reserve wicket-keeper.

Andrew Symonds: Symonds’ alcohol problem and other disciplinary issues are no secret. Throughout his career, this immensely talented cricketer had run-ins with Cricket Australia. He once famously (or rather infamously) skipped a team meeting as he went fishing. But all hell broke loose when he over-celebrated in a drunken state after a warm-up victory in the World Twenty20 2009 against New Zealand. He was sent home by the board midway through the tournament and was never picked again.  

Jesse Ryder: Just like Symonds, Ryder too shall remain a classic case of unfulfilled talent. A powerful hitter of the ball, Ryder is sadly remembered more for his off the field controversies which were mainly related to alcohol. In early 2008, he hit the headlines for injuring his hand while trying to damage a window in order to enter a toilet in a bar in Christchurch. In the same city, around five years later, he was involved in a brawl outside Aikman’s bar in Christchurch, which almost killed him. The accident landed him in a hospital where he remained in induced coma for 56 hours and won the battle for life.

All-rounders:

Ben Stokes: Stokes may have established himself as England’s premier all-rounder across formats, but he has had his share of alcohol-related issues in the early part of his career. In 2013, he was sent home from the Lions tour of Australia after being warned of dire consequences if he did not stop drinking. He was given written warning for his behaviour before being punished for his ‘unprofessional conduct’. ‘I would like to apologise for the way in which I acted. I am determined to bounce back from this situation and I regret my actions off the field. I look forward to getting back to my county to begin pre-season,’ his statement after being sent home by the management read.

In 2016, Stokes was banned from driving till end of the year, thanks to his drunk-driving history.

Andrew Flintoff: ‘Freddi’ Flintoff too was a binge drinker, and on one occasion during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, he paid heavily for it. After the defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament, Flintoff went on a late night drinking spree in a night club along with few of his team-mates, only to be rescued after falling off a pedalo. The incident quickly became known in the media circles as the “Fredalo” incident. The burly all-rounder faced the repercussions, as he was being stripped of the vice-captaincy and suspended from the match against Canada.

James Faulkner: Faulkner did a Gibbs by driving under the influence of alcohol. Worse, he did so in England and not his own country. While playing for Lancashire in August 2015, Faulkner crashed his car in Manchester after drinking. He was accompanied by fellow Australian Tim Paine at the time of accident and was found well over the permissible blood alcohol limit. Cricket Australia not only fined him, but also suspended for four games besides warning for his behaviour in the near future.

Bowlers:

Graeme Swann: Former England spinner Swann was pulled over rather amusingly for a drink-driving case when he was trying to rescue his cat in the early hours of morning. Swann, who reportedly came home late night after hours of binge drinking, found his cat trapped under the floorboards. He rushed to a nearby supermarket to get screwdrivers in the same inebriated state when he was stopped by the cops. The matter reached to the court where the cricketer was later cleared of the charges.

Shane Warne: Legendary spinner Warne and controversies go hand in hand. His sexual escapades are well documented, but by his own admission, he was also an alcoholic who would drink during the tournaments. In an interview with Australian Daily Telegraph, Warne had confessed that he would drink heavily after a day’s play during the Ashes 2005 and then return to team hotel. Later, he would cry before going to sleep. The cricketer was then going through a tough phase in his personal life as his marriage with his wife Simone had hit the rocks. However, during one of the IPL 2009 matches in South Africa, Warne was clicked taking a sip of beer given to him by a spectator near the boundary line.

Liam Plunkett: Plunkett seems to have an affinity for pace. When bowling, he induces searing pace to trouble the batsmen. And when behind the wheels, he loves to drive fast. The only problem here is alcohol, as under its influence, he has been caught twice for drunken driving. On both the occasions in 2007 and 2012, he was found well over the permissible blood alcohol count.

12th Man:

Monty Panesar: The only thing that keeps Panesar out of this XI is presence of more skilful spinners Warne and Swann in the team. But had it been for the gravity of the act after getting drunk, Panesar would have made it to the XI hands down, thanks to his pee-gate. In August 2013, the Sikh cricketer was fined after he was caught urinating on two bouncers outside a nightclub in London. He was going through a bad split with his wife, a reason attributed to his behaviour. His career only went downhill after the incident as the selectors lost confidence in him.

(A self-confessed cricket freak, Chinmay Jawalekar is a senior writer with CricLife and CricketCountry. When not writing or following cricket, he loves to read, eat and sleep. He can be followed here @CricfreakTweets)