Table of Contents
Top 10 Angry Cricket Players In The World
What is the sport of cricket renowned for? What are the top bowlers, batsmen, and spinning balls? Well, this isn’t the only reason the sport is well-known. Cricket is also known for producing some rowdy, irate players.
You did really hear correctly! So, whether the players frequently argue with the umpires or lash out at other players, they have acquired the moniker “angry cricketers.”
As a result, we’ve put up a list of 10 cricketers who have consistently displayed their short fuse on the field.
Let’s get to the information now without further ado.
World’s Top 10 Most Furious Cricket Players 2022
The list was created with the assistance of a number of reliable online resources, including The Cricket Lounge, Sports Show, etc.
However, let’s take a closer look at the table below before diving into the specifics.
Player Name | Country |
10. Curtly Ambrose | West Indies |
9. Dale Steyn | South Africa |
8. Ian Botham | England |
7. Shoaib Akthar | Pakistan |
6. Javed Miandad | Pakistan |
5. Gautam Gambhir | India |
4. Andrew Symonds | Australia |
3. Virat Kohli | India |
2. David Warner | Australia |
1. Shane Warne | Australia |
10. Curtly Ambrose
Curtly Ambrose, a former cricketer from Antigua, is the first on our list of the top 10 angry cricket players.
Ambrose, widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, is remembered for notoriously losing his cool against Australian opponent Steve Waugh in 1995.
But Ambrose wasn’t to blame for it. Instead, during a game, Waugh lost his cool and cursed at him.
Ambrose became hostile as a result, and the field situation became threatening.
Compared to Waugh, Ambrose already had a commanding presence at 6 feet 7 inches tall.
However, before things got out of control, his teammates hauled him from the field.
Ambrose’s memoirs also included a description of the occurrence.
He was once asked if that was the only occasion he lost his temper in the middle of an interview.
Ambrose responded by stating that he likely only became angry once during his career.
9. Dale Steyn
Many people rank Dale Steyn as the best fast bowler of his generation.
He is renowned for more than just his rapid bowling, though. This former South African athlete is renowned for having a very bad temper.
His personality was reflected in the way he bowled. He bowled in a very overtly hostile manner.
Steyn is also a fiercely competitive cricket player. So, if he missed his objective, what would happen in the field?
Steyn would communicate his thoughts to his adversary.
He would express his feelings without holding back. But like often losing his temper, he would often celebrate vigorously after taking a wicket.
Steyn once stated that he “loves the buzz from bowling fast and wants to be the quickest in the world.”
8. Lan Botham
Lan Botham is ranked eighth among the upset cricketers.
He is a former English cricketer who is hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history.
But he is also famous for his short temper.
Botham’s outspoken nature was not only displayed in the field. He has been into deep hot waters and often headlined news during his career.
One of the famous incidents included Botham getting in a heated row with both the passengers on the plane and his team members.
His skills on the field are some of the best in cricket history, but his ill-temper is also something nobody ever wants to mess with.
7. Shoaib Akthar
Nicknamed “Rawalpindi Express,” Shoaib Akthar is the fastest bowler in cricket history.
With his speed bowling of 150 km/hr and hard, lethal stares, Akthar was an aggressive player.
Akthar was often accused of unsportsmanlike conduct and controversies during his playing career.
For example, in Australia’s 2005 Test match series, the Pakistani fast bowler was sent home for alleged poor attitude and a positive drug test.
However, it wasn’t the only incident that made him one of the angry cricket players.
Akthar has many incidents like getting into verbal wars with Indian cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh and even attacking his teammate with a bat.
With his legacy as one of the fastest bowlers, he has also carved himself as one of the most aggressive players in cricket history.
6. Javed Miandad
On our number 6 is another former Pakistani cricketer, Javed Miandad.
Known for his unconventional batting style and hailed as one of the greatest batsmen from Pakistan, Miandad also made his reputation as an angry cricketer.
Although not poking fun at his height, Miandad is 5 ft 8, which is considerably smaller than his Western opponents. However, his temper was shorter than that.
Miandad made a name for himself as one of the aggressive and abusive players.
One of the most memorable incidents was that with Dennis Lillee.
The two players got into heated swearing of words. But then, Lillee chose to aim a kick at him.
What happened next is forever engraved in cricket history as ugly sportsmanship between players.
Finally, Miandad lost his temper and was just some inches away from cracking his skull.
Fortunately, the field umpire sprung into action before anything real unfortunate occurred.
But unfortunately, there is also an infamous incident of him trying to jump at Kiran More.
5. Gautam Gambhir
Next up, we have a former Indian cricketer who transitioned to a politician, Gautam Gambhir.
He is the only Indian batsman to have scored more than runs in four consecutive Test matches.
Gambhir’s short temper was displayed not just on one occasion.
But, in fact, he has been known for not holding back and getting into multiple national and international incidents.
Some Indian fans believe his hostile nature against fellow cricketer Virat Kholi is why he wasn’t picked in the squad for Test Series back in 2016.
Gambhir was not afraid to go head-on against any opposition during his career.
But unfortunately, there are several incidents of this Indian cricketer losing his cool during the match.
4. Andrew Symonds
We have placed the former Australian player on our list of angry cricketer players on our number 4. Symonds is famous for his exceptional fielding skills and his short temper.
The player spent most of his time out of the team since mid-2008.
The reasons were his drinking habit and disciplinary alcohol. He was frequently suspended or excluded from the team due to this.
Symonds has also got himself into a range of troubles due to his short temper.
In addition, he had some serious anger management issues, from being involved in a brawl at a pub to smacking his teammate.
Similarly, he has also been involved in the famous monkey-gate scandals in India.
As a result, many fans had speculated that his growing antics led him to retirement in 2016.
3. Virat Kohli
Another Indian player on our list of angry cricket players. Virat Kohli is our number.
Although widely regarded as one of the best batsmen of his era, Kohli also, at times, has displayed how quick of a temper he has.
The cricketer has an aggressive nature. As a result, during his early career, the media describe him as “brash” and “arrogant.”
However, there have been multiple occasions when Kohli’s short temper was seen in the match.
He has been in numerous confrontations with the umpires and players.
Many players who have shared a field with him also talked about his aggressive attitude.
Kohli does not mince his words and does not back out from confrontation.
There was even an incident when he struck out his middle finger at an abusive group of spectators on the second day of the Sydney Test.
2. David Warner
We are coming to the end of the list of angry cricket players.
On number 2 is former Australian cricketer David Warner. He is known for his aggressive playing style.
Warner is one of the best batsmen from Australia, a short-tempered player. But unfortunately, he has gotten himself into many incidents, like where he attacked Joe Root.
It led him to be dropped out of Australia’s second match in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
After that, Warner got into an altercation with South African wicket-keeper Thami Tsolekile.
The umpire had to step in twice to stop things from getting ugly.
Similarly, he also got into another altercation with South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock in 2018, baiting a spectator that led to a heated exchange.
During his playing career, Warner constantly suffered from anger management issues.
As a result, he was often called out for his “thuggish” on-field behavior and dropped out of matches.
1. Shane Warne
And one number 1 angry cricket player is former Australian cricketer Shane Warne.
Widely considered one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history, he also earned his name for, you guessed it, as an angry cricket player.
During his playing career, Warne frequently got himself into controversies.
Similarly, Warne often heated back and forth with umpires, opponents, and even his teammates.
Sri Lankan former captain once gave his statement regarding their dislike for each other and their animosity.
In 2013, Warne was even fined and banned for one match for the use of obscene language and inappropriate physical contact with an official.
Likewise, the media heavily criticized his antics and short temper displays.
Although he is remembered as one of the greatest players, Warne has also earned the title of the top angry cricket player.
Also Read: Jake Reed, Piper Billups, Dwight Smith Jr.
Conclusion
The cricketers getting angry during the matches can also result from the heavy stress they face during the game.
However, this does not justify their acts and the ill temperament they display during the match.