Top 5 instances of players being led into blunders by their captains

For long, Cricket has been termed as the Gentlemen's game and cricketers are among the most respected athletes in the world. Even some players have gone on to have the stature of Gods.

Over the years, Cricket has seen some extraordinary players who have led their team with a lot of pride. Captains like Steve Waugh, Sourav Ganguly, Imran Khan and Nasser Hussain always led from the front of setting benchmarks.

However, there have been few instances of captains making their players do unfortunate things and bringing disrepute to the game. Let us have a look at such incidents that shocked the cricket fraternity.

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#5 Trevor Chappell (Captain: Greg Chappell)

Trevor Chappell was the youngest of three brothers who represented Australia. However, he is mostly remembered for the underarm bowling incident in 1981 that brought a lot of disgrace to the game.

Australia were playing New Zealand in a one day match and needed 6 runs on the last ball to tie the match. Trevor was bowling the last over. Captain and elder brother, Greg Chappell instructed him to bowl the last bowl underarm so that NZ batsman cannot hit it for a six.

Eventually, New Zealand lost the match. This incident led to widespread criticism and NZ prime minister called it the most disgusting incident in cricket.

#4 Ajay Jadeja (Captain: Mohammad Azharuddin)

jadeja's came to a halt after

match-fixing

saga

Born in a royal family, Ajay Jadeja was one of the favorites among fans across India. His inning of 45 runs in 25 balls in the World Cup 1996 semi-final against Pakistan in etched in the World Cup history.

The dashing lower-order batsman had been a sensation for India until his name came in the match-fixing saga in 2000. He, along with Azharuddin, was banned from playing cricket thereafter.

It was later revealed that Azharuddin was the one who introduced him to the bookies that led to the downfall of his career in a disgraced manner.

#3 Herschelle Gibbs (Captain: Hansie Cronje)

Gibbs faced

lot

of heat following match-fixing allegations

The match-fixing saga in 2000 shocked the whole cricketing fraternity. There were names after names that kept coming out and that were linked to match-fixing. Gibbs was one such player who was involved in the who scandal.

Gibbs, the right-handed opener, is known for a lot of amazing innings. His 175 against Australia helped SA chase a record total of 414.

However, his image was tarnished after the revelation that he accepted money from bookmakers. Gibbs later revealed that it was his Captain Hansie Cronje, who introduced him to bookmakers.

#2 Mohammad Amir (Captain: Salman Butt)

The youngster had to remain away from the game for 5 years

The left-arm fast bowler was the best find for Pakistan in bowling after Wasim Akram. Bowling with raw pace and beautiful swing, Amir was an integral part of many Pakistan victories.

His career started at a tender age of 17. He was destined to be the next bowling legend in Pakistan cricket.

However, the spot-fixing scandal in 2010 ruined his career completely. He was asked to bowl no-balls by his captain Salman Butt deliberately. At 17, Amir didn't know much difference between right and wrong.

Subsequently, he was banned from international cricket for 5 years. He made a return to international cricket in 2015.

#1 Cameron Bancroft (Captain: Steve Smith)

The future looks gloomy for Bancroft

There's little you can do when you are just 25, have played just 8 matches and your captain and vice-captain ask you to do something.

Cameron Bancroft, the right-handed opener, came across a promising talent. He was selected into the team after the team had a series of dismal performances. He looked set to play long for Australia.

However, the recent ball-tampering saga that shook the whole world, has put his career in jeopardy. He was directed by Warner to tamper with the ball and everything was done with Steve Smith's consent. He has been banned by Cricket Australia for 9 months. With age on his side, he can still make a comeback in future. However, the blot on his integrity will take time to fade off.