10 most controversial cricketers of all time

#9 Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa)

More popular for his antics off the field.

One of the best batsmen in the history of South African Cricket, Herschelle Gibbs was rock solid and proficient at the top of the batting order. However, he was equally proficient at getting involved in controversies and was often in the headlines for his wrong deeds more often than his impressive game on the field.

Gibbs' history of controversies dates back to the beginning of the 21st century when he was involved in the most infamous match-fixing scandal in the history of cricket in 2000. Approached by Bookies and then-captain Hansie Cronje to book a match, he accepted money to score less than 20 in that match. Although he later went on to score 74, he was suspended for 6 months and refused to visit India for the next 6 years due to the fear of getting arrested by the police.

In 2001, he was fined by CSA, along with various other teammates, for smoking marijuana during their tour to the West Indies. Despite being a cape coloured himself, Gibbs was accused of racial comments directed towards Pakistani players and fans and received a ban of three games - one in each of the three formats of the game.