“Together, we could control Indian cricket for years” - 5 shocking claims made by cricketers in their autobiographies

Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has ruffled quite a few feathers in the cricketing fraternity by making some shocking claims in his no-holds-barred autobiography, ‘Ross Taylor: Black & White’.

The book has been the talk of cricketing circles over the last couple of days, with the Kiwi alleging that racism exists in New Zealand cricket as well. In fact, he went on to term the game in the country as "a pretty white sport".

The 38-year-old also reacted to his controversial exit as New Zealand captain, blaming then-coach Mike Hesson for demotivating him by telling him that he was "a follower, not a leader". He claimed that Hesson always wanted Brendon McCullum to be the captain of the team.

The former cricketer did not spare the IPL, either. He alleged that a Rajasthan Royals (RR) owner "slapped" him three to four times during the 2011 edition.

While many of Taylor’s allegations are shocking to the core, it is not the first time that a player has made some stunning claims in a book.

Let’s look back at five shocking revelations made by other prominent cricketers in their autobiographies.

---

#1 “Ringmaster who imposed his ideas on the players” - Sachin Tendulkar on Greg Chappell

Greg Chappell (left) and Sachin Tendulkar.

It is an open secret that Greg Chappell did not enjoy a great association with Indian cricketers during his controversial stint as a coach with the team. In his autobiography, "Playing It My Way", Sachin Tendulkar alleged that the Aussie suggested he should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid just months before the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.

Recalling the shocking incident, Tendulkar wrote in his book:

“Just months before the World Cup, Chappell had come to see me at home and, to my dismay, suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid.

"Anjali (Tendulkar’s wife), who was sitting with me was equally shocked to hear him say that ‘together, we could control Indian cricket for years’, and that he would help me in taking over the reins of the side.”

The former Indian batter added:

“I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket’s biggest tournament just months away.”

Tendulkar claimed that Chappell stayed for a couple of hours, trying to convince him before finally leaving. The Aussie great, however, denied the allegations and stated that he was stunned by the claim. His official statement read:

“Whilst I don’t propose to get into a war of words, I can state quite clearly that during my time as Indian coach I never contemplated Sachin replacing Rahul Dravid as captain. I was therefore very surprised to read the claims made in the book.”

In his book, the 49-year-old described Chappell as a “ringmaster who imposed his ideas on the players without showing any signs of being concerned about whether they felt comfortable or not”.

With Chappell as coach and Dravid as captain, India had a horror 2007 ODI World Cup campaign in the West Indies. They failed to progress beyond the first round, losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

---

#2 “Steve Waugh was the most selfish player I ever played with” - Shane Warne

Former Aussie cricketers Shane Warne (left) and Steve Waugh. Pic: Getty Images

The late Shane Warne was known for his outspoken persona on the field. He took the same route when he wrote his autobiography as well. It was pretty clear during their playing days that Warne and Steve Waugh were not best mates.

In his autobiography, ‘No Spin’, Warne termed the former Aussie skipper as the most selfish player he'd ever played with. He expressed disappointment at being dropped from the fourth Test against West Indies in Antigua in 1999. The spin wizard wrote in his book:

“I lost a bit of respect for him after that. I believe he should have backed me — as I always believe the art of captaincy is to support your players and back them every time. This gains the respect from the players and makes them play for you. He didn’t, it’s history, but I never found it easy with him after that.”

Warne added:

“Steve Waugh was the most selfish player I ever played with and was only worried about averaging 50. It was about a lack of loyalty. Pretty childish, I know, but that’s the way it was.”

Warne, renowned as one of the greatest players to grace the game, passed away in March this year at the age of 52. He was holidaying in Thailand at the time of his death.

---

#3 "He walked away" - Shoaib Akhtar claimed Sachin was scared of him

Sachin Tendulkar (right) and Shoaib Akhtar were involved in many battles on the cricket field.

Apart from his lethal bowling, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar often grabbed headlines for his controversial nature. It was no surprise then that the Rawalpindi Express titled his autobiography ‘Controversially Yours’.

While the maverick Akhtar gave insights into various aspects of his life throughout his book, one claim made by him did not go down too well with Indian fans. In what many felt was an exaggerated observation, Akhtar wrote that Tendulkar was scared of his bowling. His claim went as follows:

"I bowled (Sachin) a particularly fast ball which he, to my amazement, didn't even touch. He walked away! That was the first time, I saw him walk away from me – that, too, on the slow track at Faisalabad. It got my hunting instincts up and in the next match I hit him on the head and he couldn't score after that.”

That’s not all. Akhtar also wrote that Tendulkar and Dravid weren't exactly match winners and did not know the art of finishing the game.

---

#4 “Graeme was simply too powerful” - Herschelle Gibbs

Herschelle Gibbs (left) and Graeme Smith. Pic: Getty Images

Herschelle Gibbs was one of South Africa’s most gifted batters, but also one of its most controversial figures. He was among those cricketers whose names cropped during the 2000 match-fixing scandal. Although he made a comeback after serving a ban, he could never quite win back the trust of cricket lovers.

In his controversial autobiography, 'To The Point', Gibbs claimed that former captain Graeme Smith was too powerful and even former coach Mickey Arthur had to bow to him. He wrote:

"The team has been criticized for being run by a group of senior players – captain Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and, more recently, AB de Villiers – and this inner circle splits the team in two and makes any chance of developing true team spirit among the Proteas impossible.

"Simply put, without Graeme's backing, Mickey didn't have much influence over the guys. In the end, Graeme was simply too powerful.”

He opined that the team never regained its spirit after former captain Hansie Cronje admitted to match fixing and was handed a life ban.

Gibbs’ book was also in the news due to some graphic details of his sexual encounters and marijuana sessions, giving out intimate information about his personal life.

---

#5 “All three of them cheated” - Ian Botham’s ball-tampering allegations against Pakistan’s pace trio

The umpires and the Pakistan team discuss the condition of the ball during the third Test against England at Old Trafford in 1992. Pic: Getty Images

The issue of ball-tampering has always been a sensitive topic in cricket. Pakistan, because their bowlers have been able to reverse the ball more than others, have often been accused of using unfair means.

During Pakistan’s tour of England in 1992, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis destroyed England, combining to claim 43 wickets in the five-match Test series. In his book, 'The Botham Report’, Ian Botham openly accused Pakistan's bowlers of tampering with the ball. He wrote:

“At the heart of the controversy lay the conviction of myself, Allan Lamb and several other England players, not to mention Mickey Stewart [the England manager] that the Pakistan bowlers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed tampered with the ball throughout.

"I remain convinced to this day that all three of them cheated by contravening the laws of the game.”

He added:

“In my opinion, the actions of Wasim, Waqar and Aaqib Javed were in clear and direct contravention of those laws (42.4 Lifting the seam and 42.4 Changing the condition of the ball). Using their fingernails, they made such an unholy mess of the ball at times that a ball that had been in use for 40 or 50 overs looked as though a pack of dogs had chewed it.”

Pakistan won the five-match Test series 2-1. With the series level at 1-1, Pakistan thumped England by 10 wickets in the final match at The Oval. Akram claimed six wickets in the first innings and Younis five in the second to blow away the hosts.

---