5 hilarious 'never celebrate too early' moments in cricket

Premature celebrations in cricket often make for hilarious moments in the game. However, as much as they are entertaining for the spectators, such moments can be harsh on players.

Celebrating early can have a significant impact on a game, as players have found out the wrong way.

On that note, let us take a look at the five hilarious 'Never celebrate too early' moments in cricket. Note: The list is in no particular order.

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1. Ravichandran Ashwin versus Karnataka (2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy)

Ravichandran Ashwin celebrated too early after scoring boundaries off the first two balls.

In the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), Ravichandran Ashwin's celebration in the last over of the final turned to bitter disappointment as Karnataka eventually edged past Tamil Nadu by a solitary run.

However, the final between arch-rivals Tamil-Nadu and Karnataka is remembered for reasons other than Karnataka's epic win as well.

Tamil Nadu entered the final over, with 13 runs to win the championship. Ashwin started beautifully, hitting boundaries off the first two balls, and bringing down the required runs drastically. Ashwin celebrated the two boundaries with an emotional fist pump.

Ashwin successfully pulling off Mushfiqur Rahim's celebration even before winning. pic.twitter.com/N4Rwlk4SvC

— Bengaluru Adda (@bengaluruadda) December 1, 2019

With five runs needed off four balls, Krishnappa Gowtham bowled a dot ball, following up with just a single. Vijay Shankar, on the other hand, looked in torrid touch, and looked for a double off the first ball he faced in the over. However, a marvellous throw from captain Manish Pandey from the deep forced a run-out off the penultimate delivery. With three runs needed off the last ball, Murugan Ashwin could only take a single, while Ravichandran Ashwin was left stranded without getting the strike in the last three balls of the innings.

Here is the drama of last over.... pic.twitter.com/JXqt19TrE9

— Aarenn (@KarnatakaCrickt) December 1, 2019

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2. Herschelle Gibbs versus Australia (1999 World Cup)

Steve Waugh scored an unbeaten 120 off 110 balls in a crucial Super Six encounter.

In the Super Six stage of the 1999 World Cup in Birmingham, South Africa endured one of the most difficult moments in their cricketing history.

Centurion in the South African innings, Herschelle Gibbs, dropped captain Steve Waugh's simple chance while the latter was batting on 56. In the first innings, Gibbs had scored a remarkable 101 not out in 134 balls to put the Proteas on course for a big win. However, Gibbs scripted his own undoing by dropping a sitter while trying to hurl the ball skywards in excitement.

Although the catch was taken, it wasn't deemed to be under full control and therefore Waugh remained not-out. Waugh went on to score an unbeaten 120 off 110 balls, and a few days later, Australia clinched the World Cup by beating Pakistan in the final.

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3. Mushfiqur Rahim versus India (2016 Asia Cup)

Mushfiqur Rahim was mocked for his early celebration.

Mushfiqur Rahim's early celebration in the 2016 ICC WT20 clash against India still haunts Bangladesh.

After hitting back-to-back boundaries off Hardik Pandya, Rahim reduced the equation to two runs needed off three balls. However, a hat-trick of dismissals brought an end to Rahim's premature celebrations as India won by just one run.

Mushfiqur Rahim's controversial Tweet

After India's win, he became a laughing stock on Twitter due to his aggressive celebration post the two boundaries. Rahim's woes didn't end there. After West Indies beat India in the semifinals Rahim posted a congratulatory tweet but to his horror, he was mercilessly mocked by fans.

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4. Suresh Raina versus Rajasthan Royals (2009 IPL)

Suresh Raina helped CSK beat RR by 38 runs in the 2009 IPL.

Suresh Raina was on the verge of becoming the first Indian to score an IPL century in 2009. In a contest between CSK and Rajasthan Royals, Raina scored a blistering 98 runs in 55 balls before being dismissed by Munaf Patel.

Raina, who was batting beautifully on 94, hit a glorious shot that looked like it went for a six. The left-hander started celebrating before the six was changed to a four by umpire Rudi Koertzen. Two runs were deducted from Raina's score, which now stood at 98. Incidentally, Raina got out the very next ball, bringing an end to what could've been a record-breaking innings in IPL.

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5. Asela Gunaratne vs South Africa (2017 Cape Town)

Asela Gunaratne miscalculated, and started celebrating Sri Lanka’s win, with one run still required.

Sri Lanka's Asela Gunaratne took off the stumps in celebration of a famous series win against South Africa in Cape Town. However, as things turned out, his celebration came in a ball too early.

Requiring 11 runs off the last over, the batsman scored a boundary off the first ball followed by two singles. Sri Lanka needed five to win off three deliveries when Gunaratne edged a ball towards the third-man boundary. As the umpire signalled a boundary, the batsman took off one-stump thinking that the series was already won. However, his partner Seekkuge Prasanna made him realise soon that one run was still needed off two balls to secure a win.

Gunaratne did score the winning runs off the very next ball, but the match remains well-remembered for his hilarious premature series-victory celebration.