5 times players who were banned for strange reasons

Cricket is never free from controversy. Time and again the players land themselves in trouble because of their conduct. From fixing matches to a violent exchange of words, there are innumerable reasons behind the ban of some of the best players.

However, there are times when some players were unexplainably suspended for a match or two, sometimes the whole series. No one could decipher the logic behind these decisions.

Here are five instances when the players were banned for most bizarre reasons.

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#5 Andrew Symonds

Although Symonds has been open about a soft spot that he holds for fishing, it was probably not the best idea to mix it with cricket.

Back in 2008, this Australian all-rounder missed a team meeting when he decided to go for fishing. Ahead of Australia's a three- match ODI series against Bangladesh, the squad was called for a meeting that was followed by an optional training session.

Symonds was not aware of the meeting and he left early to comply with his fishing plans. The all-rounder did not receive a hearty welcome post this incident.

He was sent back home with a month in his hand to prove his commitment to the Australian team. It was decided that Symonds will be given some time off the field so that he can get his head back into the game.

His presence in Australia's match upcoming fixture against India was also unsure due to this incident.

#4 Shahid Afridi

This Pakistan all-rounder is controversy's favourite boy in Cricket. When Pakistan was playing against Australia in their final ODI encounter in a five-match series, Afridi was caught biting the ball.

He was walking with Rana Naved-ul-Hasan when this act was caught on camera. It breached the International Cricket Council rules governing the tampering of the ball.

According to these regulations, 'any attempt to change the condition of the ball through illegal means is a violation of the players' code of conduct and is liable to punishment.'

Soon Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee, was involved in the matter when the on-field umpires and the third umpire expressed objection stating that the ICC regulations were violated.

Following the violation of the expected norm, Afridi was handed a two-match ban in T20Is. Later, he accepted that he made a mistake in the heat of the moment and apologised for the same.

Just like a microcosm of Afridi's career and the famous Black Eyed Peas song, it was all a little, 'Boom Boom Pow'.

#3 Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev missed only one match out of the 132 Test matches that India played while he was active in the sport, in the 1993-94 season. Well, the only match he missed was due to a one-match ban handed to him after he tried to score too fast in the previous match.

(I know bizarre is an understatement here.)

In the second match against England, he walked in to bat when India was a little short of hundred in the second innings. He decided to unleash his beast mode. Unfortunately, his attitude was about to invite a lot of trouble for him.

The second ball that he faced, kissed his bat and went flying across the boundary. The next ball sent him back to the pavilion.

This was enough to agitate the team management who blamed his approach for the eventual loss of his team in that encounter. Hence, Dev was barred from the next match.

Later, in his autobiography, India's greatest all-rounder mentioned that he missed one match that season in order to prove an 'obscure point about discipline'.

#2 Shoaib Akhtar

This incident may not sound that strange considering the player involved. Although Akhtar has been involved in countless brawls, this one was inside the privacy of dressing room which cost him a place in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.

According to the reports, all the team members were involved in a heated discussion which soon changed into a fiery argument. Akhtar was holding a bat when Shahid Afridi hurled certain 'bad words' at him.

This was enough to agitate the Rawalpindi express who charged towards Afridi in order to hit him with the bat. However, he ended up hitting Mohammad Asif, his another teammate.

This resulted in his immediate return to home. Later, Akhtar went on to state that his action was in response to the kind of words that Afridi used against his family.

He explained that he wanted to hit Afridi but ended up hitting Asif on his thighs by mistake. He also apologised for his conduct but the damage was done.

#1 Ravindra Jadeja

The freshest of this lot is Ravindra Jadeja's one-match ban in the ongoing India vs Sri Lanka. He was accused of throwing the ball inappropriately at the other player during the match.

After having delivered a ball to Sri Lankan batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne, Jadeja collected the ball and threw it back at the batsman. The on-field umpire concluded that the ball was hurled in a dangerous manner.

This added three more demerit points to his name. Earlier, this world's best Test bowler was handed three demerit points during India's home series against New Zeland. Jadeja was accused of damaging the pitch by ceaselessly running down the middle of it.

His total points added up to six thereby, resulting in his suspension from the third test of the series.

Soon after the decision, Jadeja posted an image on Twitter which was assumed as a response to the ban. This may not be true, but it certainly abided by the expectations that one holds from Jadeja's flair.

pic.twitter.com/Qzxtn3cqrp

— Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) August 7, 2017

Well, they call him Sir Jadeja for a reason.