Cricket is undoubtedly, one of the most renowned sports in the world. It has a huge fan base across the globe and among all generations. Due to this, several times people began to adore not just a particular cricketer’s playing style but also his personality. Therefore, it is not a surprise to see how so many people in India, especially the youth, consider these cricket players as their idols and passionately follow them. However, we cannot shun the fact that, glamour does come with some repercussions since many times, players tend to do something on-field or off-the-field which then triggers a controversy about them. So, here I will present the “Top 10 Most Controversial South African Cricketers”.
1. Hansie Cronje
Wessel Johannes Hansie Cronje was an international South African cricketer. A brilliant all-rounder, famous for his aggressive batting and spectacular fielding, got his name dragged in a match-fixing scandal when the New Delhi Police tapped his conversation with a bookie during South Africa’s tour of India in 2000. Shortly afterwards, an inquiry conducted by the King Commission, in South Africa, revealed that Cronje was found guilty and accepted his wrong-doings of passing on the team information and influencing game’s decision. During one of his interrogations, he also admitted that “I have an unfortunate love for money.” Further, it was discovered that, he had been engaged in, this since he gained the captaincy in 1995.
2. Basil D’ Oliveira
The famous English batsman, though of South African origin, decided to play for England and not for his country of origin due to the apartheid legislation in the South African cricket council, which made him feel restricted. But, the bone of contention arose when he found no room in the playing 11 during the England tour of South Africa in 1969, despite performing brilliantly in his previous match. It led to speculations that English cricketing authorities intentionally withdrew his name from the playing 11 as it might upset South Africa and also because of his mixed race. But, the concerned authorities decided to call off the tour when the injury of one of his teammates paved the way for Oliveira’s inclusion in the English team.
3. Andre Nel
A former international South African cricket player, popularly known for his spindly structure and aggressive nature also made it to one of the most controversial players in the history of South African cricket. In 2001 during a series against West Indies, he, along with a couple of his teammates, was caught smoking marijuana in the hotel room, because of which he had to pay 15,000 Rand as a fine. Furthermore, in 2003 during the tour to Australia, Nel was sent back home and banned from playing the next six matches, because of getting arrested in a drink and driving case in Hobart. Apart from this, he was again asked to pay the fine for breaching cricket’s code of conduct by showing his tongue to Chris Gayle after taking the latter’s wicket in Johannesburg.
4. AB de Villiers
Universally known as Mr. 360 Degree for his sensational batting and highly admired for his dazzling look, the great AB de Villiers unfortunately could not stay away from being dragged into a controversy. He had to face strong criticism for his decision of including Vernon Philander in the team instead of Kyle Abbot against New Zealand, in the 2015 ICC World Cup, semi-final match against New Zealand.
5. Faf du Plessis
Du Plessis, a notable South African international cricketer, famous for his stunning physique and spectacular batting skills, has been caught in a ball tampering incident a couple of times, first in 2013, when he was rebuked for meddling with the ball by rubbing it against the zipper, and the second time in 2016, during the test match against Australia, where he attempted to apply saliva on the ball while eating a sweet.
6. Quinton de Kock
Generally, known for his calm personality, Quinton De’Kock, during the T20 World Cup in 2021, decided not to take a knee in a match against West Indies as the players had been told by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to collectively take a knee before every game at the World Cup to support Black Lives Matter. Thus, CSA rebuked him for not engaging in the pre-match formalities to which De Kock replied that he would love to play for South Africa, but at that moment, he felt his rights were not respected when the CSA made it mandatory for the players to take the knee.
7. Mark Boucher
In January 2022, Mark Boucher, former player of the South African team and the then coach of the men’s national team, was charged by the Cricket South Africa for addressing Paul Adams, a former team-mate. with disparaging words, thereby marking racial segregation.
8. Khaya Zondo
There emerged a massive debate over the debut match of Khaya Zondo as he was supposed to make his debut in the 2015 series against India however was dropped at the eleventh hour and replaced by Dean Elgar. Later, it was pointed out that de Villiers, then team captain, did not want him in the group. To counter-attack this, a bunch of players wrote a letter to the South African cricket board, expressing their discontent upon the selection method.
9. Kevin Pietersen
The famous English batter renowned for his destructive batting skills is actually of South African origin. However, he chose to play for England and not for his birthplace since he felt a threat to his cricket career because of the overall quota-driven system in the South African team.
10. Vernon Philander
The cricket team of South Africa has witnessed numerous controversies due to the race-related quota in the team. Hence, many differences arose when the Protea captain had to choose a player of color against his wishes. The team wanted to play with the same playing eleven against New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup semi-final match, but Philander was selected instead of Kyle Abbott on the game’s eve. This selection triggered a massive controversy after South Africa’s defeat in the semi-final.
