6 times famous cricketers got involved in brawls outside the field.

New Zealand Black Caps team with the ODI trophy af
New Zealand Black Caps team

The second Test match of the series between India and England is going to take place at the Home of Cricket, Lords. The hosts will be looking to extend their lead in the series. But they are going to miss the services of one of their main stars and the man who turned the tide towards England on the final day of the first test, Ben Stokes.

The English all-rounder is supposed to appear at the Bristol Crown Court on Monday having been charged with affray following a brawl in the streets of Bristol in September last year. The southpaw had earlier missed the Ashes after facing a ban from the England Cricket Board. But this wasn't the first time such an instance took place. Let us have a look at some of other such incidents.

New Zealand cricket team

During the 2003 world cup, more than half of the New Zealand side was involved in a brawl outside a nightclub in Durban. This resulted in Chris Cairns being assaulted and suffered a cut on the lip. Reportedly, he was hit from behind and consequently fell on the ground. The wicketkeeper, Brendon McCullum also collected some abrasions. The players had to be rushed to their hotel by armed security guards.

The incident also involved the skipper Stephen Flemming and the vice-captain Craig McMillan. Others involved in the incident included Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills and Andre Adams. Later, Cairns and McCullum were fined NZ $ 500 each by the country's Cricket Board.

Indian Cricket Team

India v Sri Lanka - ICC T20 World Cup
India v Sri Lanka - ICC T20 World Cup

The 2010 edition of the T20 World Cup doesn't bring good memories to the Indian fans. The team lost their final super 8 match to Sri Lanka and were knocked out of the tournament. Following the defeat, six Indian players got involved in a brawl with fans at a pub in Saint Lucia.

The incident involved Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja, and Piyush Chawla. Reportedly, some Indian fans got agitated on seeing the cricketers enjoy themselves after their poor showing on the field and started abusing the players, which led to a scuffle. Eventually, the pub's bouncers intervened to restore order and no one faced any sort of injuries.

David Warner and Joe Root

Australian Cricket Team ASICS Kit Launch
Australian Cricket Team's David Warner

In a very infamous incident, the Australian southpaw lost his temper and punched Joe Root in the face at a bar in Birmingham city, where the players were drinking after England's win over Australia at Edgbaston in the 2013 Champions Trophy tournament. According to the sources, Warner thought that Root was impersonating and ridiculing Hashim Amla for his beard, using a coloured wig.

The English team, however, denied this, by insisting Root was poking fun at himself over jibes from teammates that he is too young to grow facial hair. The Aussie opener was suspended for three weeks as well as fined 11,500 Australian dollars. Warner admitted his mistake, saying he regretted that alcohol and aggression had got the better of him. He also talked about texting Joe Root in the morning asking for an apology.

Ricky Ponting

First Test - Australia v Pakistan: Day 3
Former Australian Captain Ricky Ponting

In 1999, Ricky Ponting was banned for three matches and given a fine of 5000 Australian dollars after an incident at a Sydney nightclub, during which a punch-up left him unconscious and with a black eye. He later confessed that he could not recollect what had happened and that the incident would prove to be a turning point in his life and career as he ensured to work on his drinking issue.

And after looking at the success he had in his cricketing career later on, shows he did manage to conquer his nemesis. Interestingly, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened with the Aussie. Just a year prior to the above mentioned incident, in 1998, Ponting, along with a friend, were pushed out of the door, into their car after a drunk Ponting had misbehaved with women and assaulted a member of the security staff at a hotel in Kolkata, where he had been invited for a party during Australia's tour of India.

Jesse Ryder

SUPER 8 Redemption Press Conference
New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder

In 2013, the New Zealand cricketer was in a medically induced coma after being attacked twice in quick succession as he left a bar in Christchurch. It all started with an altercation with three or four people outside the bar, which was followed by a brutal assault.

The southpaw suffered serious injuries after the assault including a fractured skull and a collapsed lung. He had to spend six days in the hospital before eventually resuming his cricketing career seven months later, but he was never the same batsman he once was. Two men involved in the incident were fined and one of them was also sentenced to 250 hours of community work.

David Hookes

David Hookes watches his team bat
David Hookes watches his team bat

This one is arguably the saddest of all the incidents mentioned earlier. In 2004, former Australian test cricketer David Hookes was coach of Victoria's cricket team. He was celebrating with his team members following their win over South Australia at a hotel in St Kilda. During the celebrations, a verbal dispute with a security staff escalated pretty quickly and the 48-year-old suffered head injuries when, after being punched by one of the bouncers, he fell on the road. The former cricketer never recovered and died the very next day in hospital.

The bouncer involved was acquitted later at a trail in 2005 as he told the court that he threw the punch in self-defence after being struck twice in the stomach. Whatever the truth was, this incident shook the cricketing world at that time, with many Australian cricketers, who were friends with Hookes, calling the incident life changing.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Rajdeep Puri