5 instances of pre-match comments backfiring

From AB de Villiers jibe against the English bowlers a couple weeks ago, to a more infamous and historically etched incident in Tony Greigs Grovel remark, this slideshow is a compilation of iconic instances of pre-match comments by players or administrators backfiring, sometimes, in rather embarrassing ways.

#1 Tony Grieg\'s \'grovel\' remark

Newspaper headlines in England in the aftermath of what was an embarassing series defeat against the West Indies

Perhaps why this incident makes it to the very top of this list is due to the graveness of Tony Grieg’s remarks at a point of time in history when racial tensions loomed large across the world.

The West Indies had arrived in England in the summer of 1976 in middling form, losing 5-1 to Australia earlier in the year, and eking out a scratchy series win over India. In an interview with the BBC’s Sportsnight programme, Greig claimed that he intended to make the West Indians “grovel, with the help of Closey (Brian Close) and a few others.”

Greig’s comments shocked the world and even some in the West Indies camp, having come from a white man, and a South African at that, in the Apartheid era. The emotions in the West Indian camp were perhaps summed up best by Vivian Richards saying, “Everyone was stunned. This was the greatest motivational speech the England captain could have given any West Indies team.”

England went on to crumble to a series defeat under Clive Lloyd’s four man-strong pace attack. The last Test was played at The Oval, where hordes of Caribbean people came to witness England lose in a match where Michael Holding claimed fourteen wickets.

Greig went on to regret the remarks in his post-match presser.

#2 Colin Graves\' \'Mediocre\' jibe

Jason Holder’s iconic maiden century in Antigua helped draw the first test. The West Indies went onto draw the series 1-1 with a sensational victory inside three days at Bridgetown

Another Englishman, another West Indian side, but extremely different circumstances. Humiliated after a group-stage exit in the 2015 World Cup, England arrived in the Caribbean in April with a rebuilding side brimming with fresh young talent.

They were expected to win the series at the outset, against a West Indies side that had, and continues to be, in serious decline for the better part of pas three decades. They were missing a number of key players: match winners in Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine among others, due to the seemingly never-ending conflicts between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board.

This prompted the ECB chairman Colin Graves to remark that the West Indies were a “mediocre” side and that he expected England to beat the hosts easily. After drawing the first Test at North Sound in Antigua on the back of Jason Holder’s magnificent maiden hundred, the West Indies collapsed on the fourth day in the second Test at Grenada to give England the series lead.

The third Test was played on an increasingly deteriorating wicket, and chasing 192 to win, Darren Bravo and Jermaine Blackwood helped WI level the series 1-1. The West Indians, who were widely expected to lose, were redeemed, and England captain Alastair Cook questioned the timing and wisdom of Graves’ remarks afterwards.

#3 AB de Villiers\' taunt at James Anderson

South Africa’s newly appointed captain bagged a pair after his comments in the pre-match presser

In the build-up to the fourth Test in Centurion during England’s ongoing tour of South Africa, AB de Villiers talked about England’s perceived weaknesses, saying that they weren’t “world-beaters,” and that some of their bowlers had lost a few yards of pace, and that their top order was shaky.

Coming from a man that had just got a duck in the last game, in a struggling and rebuilding side that had already lost the series, the remarks seemed a little unnecessary. Cook retorted by saying, “I actually think his speeds have been quite good in this series. It's a brave man to call Jimmy Anderson out but I guess it will spice up the match a little."

De Villiers went on to bag a couple of ducks in the following game, courtesy of Broad and Anderson, but England, nonetheless lost the match, suffering from a horde of dropped catches and a real lack of intensity throughout the game.

#4 Kevin Pietersen at the World Twenty20 2007

England were hammered by eight wickets in their round-robin match against Australia,with 31 balls to spare after Pietersen’s comments

Kevin Pietersen- who is never too far from controversy- prior to England’s group stage match against Australia at the inaugural World Twenty20, claimed that he would humiliate Australia in a performance that would send them hurtling out of the tournament.

Australia won the match in a shockingly dominant fashion, by eight wickets, riding on Matthew Hayden’s 67*, with 31 balls to spare. After the thorough humiliation, Collingwood expressed his disappointment at Pietersen’s remarks, and the loss prompted Australian captain Ricky Ponting to dish out some of his own trash talk.

#5 James Faulkner, World Twenty20 2014

The West Indies celebrate after defeating Australia at the World T20 2014 in Bangladesh

James Faulkner’s comments prior to a crunch game between Australia and the West Indies backfired miserably when the West Indies chased Australia’s total of 179 and won by six wickets.

Faulkner had claimed prior to the match that he personally didn’t think the defending champions, the West Indies, were a particularly likeable bunch and that he intended to get under their skin and irritate them. West Indies captain Darren Sammy replied that Faulkner was perhaps the only person in the world that didn’t like their side, and backed his words up with a thumping victory over the jaded Australian side.

The West Indies lost a close match in the semi-finals against Sri Lanka later, perhaps suffering from D/L calculations, but proved that in the shortest format of the game, the West Indies are perhaps one of the most dominant world sides.