Many Players were unsuccessful in their cricket careers, and many became well-known in the field. Yet some individuals had destroyed their careers themselves.
Cricket has been played for a long time and has seen many rising stars, but some stars shined too bright for their own good. There are many instances where a potential player was banned for various reasons.
A person’s character matters a lot when they set out to create a career themselves. Yet, some people lose their cool on small things and block their paths to success.
In this post, we talk about such people who, despite a promising future, destroyed their careers in instants.
How Does a Player Destroy Their Career
Any player would not destroy their career by choice, but they do so in exchange for something. That could be money, attention, illegal substances, or anything else they think is worth the value.
Contrary to the above there are many instances where many players have lost their careers because of injuries or lack of of physical fitness.
However, they lost their career to something they could not control, and you are here to look at players who destroyed their jobs themselves.
Players Who Destroyed Their Careers
Many players have lost their careers for many different reasons, but the people who destroyed their careers themselves were often part of some controversy. Making a comeback after this is rarely seen in the world of sports.
If you want to know about the players who destroyed their careers with alcohol, click here.
Only a few made an unexpected comeback, whereas others were defiled of their reputation and forgotten.
Here we look at a few players who destroyed their careers with their own hands.
Andrew Symonds
The least expected person who would have destroyed their careers is Andrew Symonds. He played in all three formats of cricket as an all-rounder.
He also holds various records like the most consecutive ducks and most runs in an inning.
He was nicknamed “Roy” and was a key player of two World Cup winning squads, his team won both the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.
Despite his brilliance, he was always in controversies and arrogance. He once called Brendon McCullum a ‘Lump of shit‘ to which CA added a clause to his contract that he will not drink in public places again.
However, he was again spotted drinking in public places which led him to the end of his career.
Kevin Pietersen
The right-handed aggressive batsman was appointed as the skipper of England who played in all three formats of cricket.
He holds the record for most 100s in a series and was the 2nd fastest player to reach 2000 runs in an ODI.
In 2012 he sent disrespectful texts to some of the members of the South Africa cricket team. He openly proclaimed that he was not satisfied playing under Peter Moores.
Being part of many controversies was already not a good outlook for him and thus the English Cricket Board laid down their position.
Although he had a lot of talent, he was shown the doors because of all the controversies he was a part of and his rude behavior.
David Warner
Another legend, a captain of the Australian team, David Warner. He is one of the highest-paid IPL stars who also happens to have a large international fan following.
Opener Batsmen David Warner has feats like being one of the fastest players to reach 6000 runs in ODI or scoring the 2nd most hundreds in the calendar year.
In 2013 David Warner, under the influence of alcohol, punched an English player Joe Root because he thought he was making fun of Muslims.
Warner was dropped off the Australian team following the attack controversy and his career was further ruined by ball-tampering controversy in 2018.
David Warner is an excellent player and remains in the hearts of millions of people. He was one of those players who was never expected to end up on the list of the players who destroyed their careers.
Jesse Ryder
New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder was an unfathomable player who won the hearts of millions of viewers with his unique way of playing. He was the seventh-fastest 100 scorer in ODI.
He was a rising star who couldn’t cope with the mental or emotional stress at the time and got addicted to alcohol consumption. His heavy drinking caused him to participate in physical alterations.
He also sustained injuries to his hands that would get in the way of his career.
He was caught for Drink and Drive and later was engaged in fighting between 4 people in which he got seriously injured—a fracture in the skull and a coma.
His further attempt to make a comeback would ultimately be halted by alcohol.
Mohammad Asif
Mohammed Asif was a right-handed fast bowler, one of the greatest bowlers to ever bowl in cricket history. He could swing the bowl in both directions and was unpredictable when he started.
He bowled one of the fastest balls, reaching a speed of 152 km/hr(94.4 mph). He also holds the record for most consecutive ducks which is 5 in a row. No one would expect that this man would have destroyed their career with foul play and controversies.
He was suspended on 16 October 2006 for the use of Performance-enhancing drugs and was also suspended for the use of drugs later in 2008 in IPL.
Then came the biggest controversy of all, he was found guilty of a match-fixing scandal against England. Moreover, it was found that he bowled No-Balls for money.
As a result, he was banned many times from playing cricket. But despite that, he has earned his place in cricket as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history.
Shoaib Akhtar
The final person from the list who destroyed their careers is Shoaib Akhtar, the right-arm fast bowler. He was regarded as one of the quickest bowlers who could easily throw a ball at 150km/hr.
He bowled the fastest ball in cricket history at the speed of 161.3km/hr(100.2 mph).
In 2003, he was found guilty of ball tampering and was given a 5 game ban. However, he didn’t stop there as more controversies would soon start to air.
In 2006, he tested positive for use of performance-enhancing drugs and was given another ban. In just the following year he was suspended for hitting his teammate with a bat.
He retired in 2011 and started a YouTube channel where he reviews cricket games.
Conclusion
Although many players destroyed their careers while playing on official grounds. The players from the list created high expectations from their fans.
They became quickly renowned for their way of playing and had astounding growth in their careers until they went rogue and destroyed their careers.
These players were really popular and still are, hence the more shocked were their fans regarding their controversies.
Comment down if any other players come to your mind who destroyed their careers.