Indeed, a great deal of emotion is associated with the game of cricket. And with that, the two sides of the same coin—loathing and loving, supporting and following—evolve. We bring the list of the most hated cricketers in the world.
Over the years, we have witnessed a number of players who were adored by cricket fans worldwide, despite the fact that they would mercilessly destroy their opponents. In a similar vein, there are players who have a large global following of detractors for unknown reasons.
Most hated cricketers:
1. Gautam Gambhir (India):
For many, this name might not come as a surprise. Over the past few years, the KKR captain has engaged in a lot of banter. Additionally, Gambhir and Rahul Dravid—the most composed player in the competition—once got into a furious argument. It makes sense that he has a lot of detractors in his own nation following that specific incident. While it’s always a good idea to have a winning mentality, one must also respect the game’s spirit for its own sake.
2. Michael Clarke (Australia):
Although the former Australian captain was a great player, he had a bad reputation off the pitch and was accused of taunting and bullying rival players in an effort to put them under duress. Actually, back in 2003, Michael Clarke even gave Tendulkar a sledgehammer. In addition, Clarke was renowned for his dishonest playmaking abilities and would stop at nothing to help his team win. These kinds of things frequently resulted in a lack of sportsmanship, which attracted a lot of haters.
3. Russell Arnold (Sri Lanka):
The former left-handed batsman for Sri Lanka was not exactly sober in terms of demeanour or attitude. He got into numerous arguments with a variety of players. Arnold was walking down the pitch on purpose once during the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. The Indian captain at the time, Sourav Ganguly, asked him to step down after warning him about his corrupt actions. There were numerous instances where he was seen acting in an unusual way.
4. Ricky Ponting (Australia):
One of the most successful captains in cricket did occasionally use devious tactics to prevent the Australians from winning. Ponting would go above and beyond to secure a win for his team. The opposition batsmen had to put up with a constant barrage of polite remarks from the Kangaroos, and occasionally he would resort to unfair tactics, such as making fictitious appeals, to cause the opposition unnecessary trouble. He now has a lot of haters because of this.
5. Ollie Robinson (England):
In relation to some contentious incidents and players in the current wave, it is impossible to ignore the rivalry between the Ashes. Ollie Robinson, an England pacer, is the latest addition to the exclusive list as a result. After dismissing Usman Khawaja in the opening Ashes 2023 Test match at Edgbaston, the pacer did not think twice about taunting the batter as part of his obnoxious farewell. As a result, he received a lot of criticism from cricket enthusiasts and experts worldwide.
But this did not sit well with many cricket fans and experts alike. In actuality, Robinson brought former Australian captain Ricky Ponting into the controversy. This infuriated Ponting, who was unabashed in his criticism of Robinson’s lack of skill. In order to defend his remarks, he described the England pacer as frustrated and a hard-working bowler who watched the game all day long like a spectator after Usman Khawaja composedly continued to play his deliveries without taking any unnecessary risks.
6. Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan):
Despite having a large following of detractors within his own nation, the Pakistani captain has earned respect for his abilities as a batsman and captain. He is frequently criticised by Pakistani cricket fans for playing ODI cricket far too defensively and is frequently blamed for the team’s losses. When Misbah made that shot in the last over of the game, which gave India the ICC World T20 2007 trophy in addition to costing him his wicket, he also gained a bad reputation.
7. Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa):
A few people may be surprised by this name, but Gibbs was also not a very popular cricket player. Due to his involvement in match-fixing scandals, South Africa significantly lost credibility in the world of international cricket. In addition, he terrorised the opposition when batting, which gave the opposition supporters ample grounds to despise him. In addition, Gibbs participated in several sledging incidents, which is why he is on this list.
8. Salman Butt (Pakistan):
The opening batsman for Pakistan performed the worst because he actively participated in match-fixing scandals while putting aside his country’s interests. Salman Butt denigrated his country’s reputation in the cricket world in addition to disrespecting the game of cricket. Because of these incidents, he has gained a lot of hate from people all over the world, and it is understandable that he will remain in the fans’ bad books for a very long time.
9. Lou Vincent (New Zealand):
Due to his involvement in several match-fixing scandals, the former Kiwi batsman embarrassed New Zealand cricket as a whole. Not only that, but Vincent was also a part of the Bangladesh Premier League match-fixing scandals a few years back. Because of these incidents, he has gained haters from all over the world.
10. MS Dhoni (India):
It’s sad, but this is the reality. Despite having many detractors in his own nation, MS Dhoni is poised to become the most successful captain in Indian history. Some think that it was because of Dhoni that veteran players like Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Ganguly, and Dravid were forced to retire and that Sehwag, Gambhir, and Yuvraj were not included in the team.
On the other hand, some claim that Dhoni’s inability to lead his country in Test matches is the reason they despise him. The World Cup-winning captain has a great deal of admirers in his own nation, many of them for strange reasons, despite his widespread respect. He is one of the hated cricketers list.
So, this was all about the most hated cricketers of all time. Also read, Cricketer MS Dhoni recent Deori temple visit goes viral!
