We have frequently witnessed athletes and spectators lending a hand to ground crew members in the most trying circumstances. A few ace cricketers have shown kindness by lending a hand to the ground crew in their own unique way. Mohammed Siraj won many people over with his gesture of kindness.
In the Asia Cup 2023 final, Siraj took six wickets to win Player of the Match. He decided to give the ground crew at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo the $5,000 USD award money. Let’s examine a few ways that ace cricketers assisted ground staff.
Ace cricketers that showed kindness:
3) Jonty Rhodes helps out the ground staff in SA20:
Former South African batsman Jonty Rhodes was seen quickly pulling on his covers at Kingsmead. He had been making every effort to help the labourers cover the square. It was evident that the Durban Super Giants’ support staff was eager to get the game underway when they arrived on the field.
They did this to help the ground crew, who were dealing with heavy winds and rain, cover the square as quickly as possible. In the end, rain proved to be an obstacle during the SA20 match between the Super Giants of Durban and the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, forcing them to split points.
Even though Inzamam-ul-Haq’s diving run-out during the 1992 World Cup may have started the Jonty Rhodes legend, real substance would have been necessary for it to develop into what it was. In a team of diligent workers, Rhodes put in more effort than anyone else. At the conclusion of practice, he would often delay the team bus so he could complete one more round of reflex catches hit from ten meters or less.
In the crucial one-day position of backward point, where he leapt like a salmon, threw off balance, and stopped singles on reputation alone, no one has ever fielded better. He put equally as much effort into his batting, which required and received a comprehensive technical makeover in 1997. Following this, he averaged fifty runs per test for the remainder of his career, abandoning it in 2000 to focus on one-day cricket.
The issue stemmed from his inclination to lower the bat from the gully to midwicket, which was a result of his exceptional hockey abilities that earned him a spot in the 1996 Olympic Games—an opportunity he had to turn down.
2) David Warner spends time helping the ground staff:
Australia’s 2023 ODI World Cup match against Sri Lanka was called off due to rain. When David Warner, a player who constantly excels on the field, was spotted in Lucknow helping the grounds crew, the fans became enthralled with him.
He helped the other players lay the blankets on the ground while they ran to the dugout. Warner suffered a bump on his knee as a result of an amazing grab. The fact that this occurred right before it began to rain added to how special that moment was.
Meanwhile, David Warner appears to have found himself in a bit of a crisis just before he bids an emotional farewell to red-ball cricket in Australia’s third Test match against Pakistan. After the game, Warner is scheduled to retire from Test and ODI cricket. He was expecting to leave the field wearing his Australian cap, but the seasoned opener has stated on social media that he thinks it was stolen.
In what he described as his “last resort,” Warner uploaded a video to his Instagram account. In the video’s caption, he claims that while the second Test was being played in Melbourne, his backpack—which included a few of his “girls’ presents” and his favourite baggy green—did not make it to Sydney Airport.
1) Fakhar Zaman helping to put the covers:
Batsman Fakhar Zaman won over the hearts of both fans and experts when rain stopped play during Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2023 match against India in September 2023. He assisted ground staff at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to secure the surface.
Known for his strong batting, Zaman had demonstrated kindness by assisting the ground staff in maintaining the field as the Colombo skies opened, forcing the crucial game to be postponed. Players and fans from both teams praised his unexpected act of kindness.
Including 170 in the second innings of the championship match, which was dominated by the twin hundreds of former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, Zaman amassed 663 runs at an average of 51 during the competition.
But his impressive play won him a PSL contract with the Lahore Qalandars. He displayed glimmers of the class he’d been exhibiting at home, especially in a 33-ball 56 against Karachi where he obliterated the opposition’s bowling while looking incredibly elegant. The batsman was called up to the Pakistan T20I team for the West Indies tour as a result, and he made his debut in the Port of Spain match’s second game.
He scored just 26 runs in his first three Twenty20 Internationals, and when he made his ODI debut in England a few months later during the 2017 Champions Trophy, not many people were aware of his ability.
After missing the first-match loss to India, Zaman turned around Pakistan’s batting fortunes in his first four ODI innings, scoring 31, 50, 57, and 114. His strike rate of 113.00 provided much-needed oomph at the top of the order for the 50-over line-up. He was named Player-of-the-Match in the final after his maiden hundred, paving the way for a total of 338 that was well beyond India’s capabilities.
So, this was all about the ace cricketers who showed kindness to the ground staff. Also read, IPL 2024: Top 5 underappreciated players in IPL history
