Cricket and its superstitions

From the cryptic to the funny, cricket has it all. There are a lot of aspects to following the game of cricket that make it funnier and more intriguing than its face value portrays.

Ever insisted that someone remain seated where they were during an on-going game because the team you support team was doing well? Ever ensured you sat in the exact same position and place as the previous game in the belief that it was lucky for the team? I’m sure every frenzied sport follower has indulged in the canard at some point in time.

Superstitions and people have come a long way and such beliefs are prevalent among the players too. Cricket offers lot of ground for superstition in players, fans and even the game as an entity. Ever wondered about the fable of the dreaded score of 111 and its multiples or, as they term it, the ‘Nelson’, which was brazenly broadcast by umpire David Shepherd?

The term originated from the legend of Lord Nelson, who was believed to have one eye, one arm and one leg and hence the number is believed to bring ill fate. Consequently, every time the score read 111 or its multiples (222,333 etc.), umpire David Shepherd would raise a leg from the ground to ward off bad luck, much to the amusement of the spectators.

This same superstition was displayed during the Test between Australia and South Africa on November 11th, 2011, at 11:11, when South Africa needed 111 runs to win. Most spectators and umpire Ian Gould took to umpire Shepherd’s leg-raise Nelson for that minute with the scoreboard reading: 11:11 11/11/11 and 111 runs needed to win.

Speaking of numerical superstitions, the Australians’ dislike for the Devil’s number – 13, is very well known; this dislike even extends to the number 87 which is 13 short of a 100. This superstition can be attributed, as most people know, to the fact that there were 13 people present around the table at Jesus Christ’s last supper. But as for the exact reason why the number 13 is labelled wretched? One can only take shots in the dark.

Moving on from the number-driven beliefs in cricket, there are several other superstitions that cricketers have followed religiously during their careers; these may seem quite arbitrary but they perhaps have their own private significance.

Here are a few of them.

• During Kumble’s remarkable 10-wicket haul in an innings against Pakistan, Tendulkar would take Kumble’s hat and sweater from him before handing it to the umpire before he bowled every over.

• If ever Englishman Mike Atherton was unbeaten at the end of the day’s play, he wouldn’t do an interview or attend to any media requests in the belief that he would get jinxed.

• Former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin always twirled the bat before taking stance.

  

• Before every ball, Sri Lankan Roshan Mahanama would raise his bat handle to his lips and kiss the top; this is eerily similar to the way Malinga kisses the ball before every delivery, don’t you think?

• When South African Neil McKenzie would go out to bat, he would want the toilet seats to be down, and flushed. His obsession was so great that, if someone was inside, he was made to come out and then go back in after the ritual was completed.

• Former Australian Captain Steve Waugh always carried the red handkerchief given to him by his grandfather which he he considered lucky.

• Sachin Tendulkar always puts on his left pad first and still uses the timeworn buckle type pads.

• Sanath Jayasuriya adjusts his helmet and pats his pad after every ball faced.

• Jimmy Amarnath always carried a red handkerchief in his pocket while fielding.

• Saurav Ganguly carried a photo of his guru while batting.

• Krishnamachari Srikkanth always looked at the sun, wore his left pad first and always walked to the right of his partner while going out to bat.

• When Zimbabwean Grant Flower and Mark Dekker would go to bat together, one would say “I hope you get hit on the head” to which the reply would unfailingly be “same to you”.

• Azharuddin also wore a ‘taweez’ around his neck and would circle his head twice before taking strike.

• Rahul Dravid always puts his right foot on the ground.

• Yuvraj Singh wears his bandana as he believes it has changed his fortunes.

• Legendary Imran khan wore a t-shirt sporting a tiger in the World Cup finals in 1992 because of a superstition.

Is success achieved due to superstition or because of the player’s forte? The answer is pretty clear to an observer, but a little ambiguous to the player himself.