5 instances of sportsmanship between rival countries

The history of cricket has been witness to several great rivalries over the years, the most epic ones being those involving some of the popular cricketing nations. When you think of rivalry between teams, the first two that instantly come to mind are the iconic Australia-England rivalry and the fierce India-Pakistan rivalry.Other than that, there have also been other memorable ones such as the ones India and Pakistan have had with the Australians respectively. While there have been quite a few ugly on-field moments between players of rival countries, we have also witnessed several heartening gestures of sportsmanship on certain occasions.The most recent instance that comes to mind is James Faulkner helping Virat Kohli get back on his feet after the latter slipped and fell down. Just a few days ago, Kohli had given Faulkner a piece of his mind during one of the ODI matches.Here are 5 great instances of sportsmanship between rival countries:

#1 Virender Sehwag - Shoaib Akhtar

Sehwag helps Shoaib get back on his feet

Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar shared a great equation with quite a few Indian players in terms of rivalry during his playing days, but none greater than the one he had with Virender Sehwag. Both these players loved getting at each other on the field and had some duels that fans of either country will never forget.

However, there have also been occasions when the two have shown a certain amount of mutual respect for each other. One such instance came during the ODI series in Pakistan’s 2007/08 tour to India when Akhtar fell to the ground and Sehwag extended his hand to help the paceman get back on his feet.

This was a proof of the great camaraderie which exists between Indian and Pakistani players amid all the tension that surrounds an Indo-Pak clash.

#2 Andrew Flintoff - Brett Lee

Flintoff and Lee were involved in this classic Ashes moment

Sportsmanship is certainly not a term which one can consider to be synonymous with the Ashes series. The history of the Ashes has been filed with acts of sledging, altercations and poor gamesmanship on the part of players from both Australia and England alike.

That does not, however, imply that the picture has always been ugly between the two oldest cricketing nations. There have also been a number of instances of English and Australian cricketers making friendly gestures towards one another.

The second Test of the 2005 Ashes series, played in Edgbaston, was a humdinger like no other and England managed to cling to an unlikely victory by 2 runs. Even as a dejected Brett Lee was trying to soak in the heartbreaking loss, Flintoff ran up to him and tried to console him by appreciating his batting effort.

#3 Wahab Riaz - Shane Watson

Riaz and Watson embrace each other after a tough World Cup match

For years, Australia and Pakistan have had a rivalry to remember in world cricket. Not only have they played highly competitive cricket against each other, there have also been some altercations which are hard to forget like the one when Javed Miandad charged to hit Dennis Lillee with his bat.

Another memorable confrontation came during the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter-final when Pakistani pace bowler Wahab Riaz bowled a fiery spell to Shane Watson and had quite a few words to say to him as well. However, despite Riaz's efforts, Australia managed to stroll to a victory by 6 wickets and qualified for the semis.

Even as players from both teams were walking off the field after the match, Watson and Riaz were seen hugging and appreciating each other for their respective efforts. It was a fine example of sportsmanship between the fiercest of rivals.

#4 Brett Lee - Sachin Tendulkar

Brett Lee checks on Sachin Tendulkar after he is hit by a beamer

The India-Australia rivalry has gone up a few notches in the past decade or so and is slowly starting to achieve iconic status. Almost in every game that the two sides play against each other these days, there is bound to be a bit of commotion between players from both sides.

But in the midst of all the rivalry, there have also been moments of great sportsmanship shown in India-Australia clashes. A memorable instance came during the first final of Commonwealth Bank Tri-series in 2008 involving legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar and great Aussie pacer Brett Lee.

Tendulkar was batting on 98 and was on course to lead India to a famous win when a beamer from Brett Lee crashed against his helmet. The master batsman looked a bit ruffled but stayed on his feet even as Lee apologetically headed towards him and both champions shook hands.

#5 Virat Kohli - Shahid Afridi

Afridi enquires with Kohli after his throw hit the latter

The India-Pakistan rivalry and the India-Pakistan World Cup rivalry have two separate identities in the cricketing world. Perhaps it has got to do with the intensity of World Cup matches being far greater due to the high stakes that are on the line.

However, this does not mean that players from India and Pakistan just keep fighting with each other in World Cup matches; there is a great deal of camaraderie as well. A great example of sportsmanship in the Indo-Pak World Cup rivalry was seen during their 2015 encounter.

Virat Kohli was batting on 54 when a throw from Shahid Afridi hit the batsman on his back. Afridi rushed towards Kohli and checked on him while trying to rub the place where Kohli had been hit, much to the Indian superstar’s amusement.