5 Times when pre-match sledging backfired spectacularly in Cricket

#4 Tony Greig's infamous "grovel" comment

When the West Indies arrived for a tour of England in 1976, fans across the world looked forward to an engrossing tour. This was the fearsome West Indies side of yore, and they had the repertoire to defeat England in England.

Certainly, English Captain Tony Greig didn't think in the same vein! In what went down as one of the most shocking and controversial statements in cricketing history, Tony Greig had the following comment to make when asked to rate West Indies' chances in the test series:

"I like to think that people are building these West Indians up, because I am not really sure they’re as good as everyone thinks they are. Sure, they’ve got a couple of fast bowlers, but … you must remember that (if) the West Indian get on top they are magnificent cricketers, but if they’re down, they grovel. And I intend, with the help of Closey and a few others, to make them grovel."

It is not clear if there were any racial overtones in this statement, but the fact was that an England captain of White South African origin had said it with reference to a group of Black West Indian Cricketers.

Even if it was not racist, the statement reeked of underestimation of West Indies's prowess as a great cricketing nation. The West Indians didn't take too kindly to this words, and word has it that whenever Greig would come to bat, the fearsome pace bowlers would suddenly clock a few miles more. Balls would whiz past the head as spectators often hold their breath. 39-year-old John Eldrich and 45-year-old Brian Close had to bear the maximum brunt of the fallout, as they took multiple blows on the body in one scary session during the third test.

West Indies won the series 3-0, but not before puncturing Greig's self-belief and demeanour so much that in the final test, in the dying moments of the series, Tony Greig headed to a particular side of the ground jam-packed with Carribean fans, and dropped to his knees and bent forward. It was a symbolism of the entire series and an intended closure of his pre-series comments.

Greig did learn a lesson, but not before his statement and the entire series had gone down as a rich part of cricketing folklore.