Ill-conceived underestimations
Virender Sehwag's disparaging remarks about Bangladesh came back to haunt him. A look at this and other instances of statements that went horribly wrong
Sahil Dutta and Liam Brickhill
28-Jan-2010
Virender Sehwag's remarks about Bangladesh will have won him no fans in that country • Associated Press
Virender Sehwag - Ordinary side
Virender Sehwag's confidence is unwavering, and he was in typical gung-ho mood in the press conference that preceded the first Test of India's tour to Bangladesh. He declared that his hosts "can surprise other teams in one-dayers but not in Test cricket. They are an ordinary side in Tests." Sehwag's Australian-like pre-match vitriol came back to bite him almost immediately. At the close of day one in Chittagong, India were floundering on 213 for 8, and every pundit in the country was lining up to have a pop. Sehwag had the last laugh though, as India fought back to win the Test.
Virender Sehwag's confidence is unwavering, and he was in typical gung-ho mood in the press conference that preceded the first Test of India's tour to Bangladesh. He declared that his hosts "can surprise other teams in one-dayers but not in Test cricket. They are an ordinary side in Tests." Sehwag's Australian-like pre-match vitriol came back to bite him almost immediately. At the close of day one in Chittagong, India were floundering on 213 for 8, and every pundit in the country was lining up to have a pop. Sehwag had the last laugh though, as India fought back to win the Test.
Tony Greig - Grovel
Perhaps the most infamous case of a pre-series gaffe, Tony Greig's decision to tell BBC's Sportsnight exactly what he thought of the touring West Indians on the eve of their series in England soon backfired spectacularly and publicly. "I'm not really sure they're as good as everyone thinks," Greig said. "These guys, if they get on top they are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey [Brian Close] and a few others, to make them grovel." With West Indies firmly in control after the first four Tests, his comments had galvanised not only the opposition but also the tens of thousands of West Indians in London who flooded The Oval during the fifth Test like a crowd at an execution. As West Indies forced the point home in the heat of the final afternoon, Greig slowly walked towards the open stands on the Harleyford Road side of the ground and sunk to his knees, grovelling to the crowd. "I realise that I made a mistake in using that word at the start of the series and they haven't let me forget it," he told the press that night.
Perhaps the most infamous case of a pre-series gaffe, Tony Greig's decision to tell BBC's Sportsnight exactly what he thought of the touring West Indians on the eve of their series in England soon backfired spectacularly and publicly. "I'm not really sure they're as good as everyone thinks," Greig said. "These guys, if they get on top they are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey [Brian Close] and a few others, to make them grovel." With West Indies firmly in control after the first four Tests, his comments had galvanised not only the opposition but also the tens of thousands of West Indians in London who flooded The Oval during the fifth Test like a crowd at an execution. As West Indies forced the point home in the heat of the final afternoon, Greig slowly walked towards the open stands on the Harleyford Road side of the ground and sunk to his knees, grovelling to the crowd. "I realise that I made a mistake in using that word at the start of the series and they haven't let me forget it," he told the press that night.
Nasser Hussain - There for the taking
Following a disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia and a premature exit from the World Cup, Nasser Hussain started the 2003 English season under scrutiny. He was soon branded 'selfish' by some quarters of the media after publicly declaring his ambition to play 100 Tests and lead England a record-breaking number of times. This pressure was ramped up by Hussain's successor as one-day captain, Michael Vaughan, steering England to an impressive victory in the one-day triangular tournament that preceded the Test series against South Africa. Then, in an interview before the opening Test, Hussain reckoned South Africa were "there for the taking" and derisively referred to opposite number as "Wottisname". Come the game at Edgbaston, Graeme Smith found a way to remind him, 277 times, as his crushing double-hundred brought the end to Hussain's reign.
Following a disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia and a premature exit from the World Cup, Nasser Hussain started the 2003 English season under scrutiny. He was soon branded 'selfish' by some quarters of the media after publicly declaring his ambition to play 100 Tests and lead England a record-breaking number of times. This pressure was ramped up by Hussain's successor as one-day captain, Michael Vaughan, steering England to an impressive victory in the one-day triangular tournament that preceded the Test series against South Africa. Then, in an interview before the opening Test, Hussain reckoned South Africa were "there for the taking" and derisively referred to opposite number as "Wottisname". Come the game at Edgbaston, Graeme Smith found a way to remind him, 277 times, as his crushing double-hundred brought the end to Hussain's reign.
Aamer Sohail - Go fetch!
An India v Pakistan contest in the knockout stages of a international tournament was never going to be quiet. The showpiece fixture of the 1996 Wold Cup at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore had crescendoed into a feverish atmosphere. Pakistan's openers, Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar, had ambushed the momentum generated by Ajay Jadeja's late-innings charge, by thumping 84 in ten overs of sizzling strokeplay. Having slashed a boundary to bring up his fifty, Sohail charged up to the bowler Venkatesh Prasad and pointed to the fence where the ball had flown, telling him to 'go fetch!' The next ball Prasad uprooted his off stump, the crowd exploded and Pakistan soon collapsed. With the match there for the taking, Sohail's hot-head had got the better of him and cost his team a place in the World Cup semi-final.
An India v Pakistan contest in the knockout stages of a international tournament was never going to be quiet. The showpiece fixture of the 1996 Wold Cup at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore had crescendoed into a feverish atmosphere. Pakistan's openers, Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar, had ambushed the momentum generated by Ajay Jadeja's late-innings charge, by thumping 84 in ten overs of sizzling strokeplay. Having slashed a boundary to bring up his fifty, Sohail charged up to the bowler Venkatesh Prasad and pointed to the fence where the ball had flown, telling him to 'go fetch!' The next ball Prasad uprooted his off stump, the crowd exploded and Pakistan soon collapsed. With the match there for the taking, Sohail's hot-head had got the better of him and cost his team a place in the World Cup semi-final.
Graeme Swann - Pink Ferraris
"If I get £300,000 after tax then I'd buy a bright pink Ferrari with it," quipped Graeme Swann. But with the worldwide recession in the headlines, captain Kevin Pietersen cautioned: "I respect everything that's happening in the world at the moment. I've got friends who are struggling, people who have lost their jobs and stuff, and there's no way I want anyone to carry on like a clown." Yet his statesman-like call for sensitivity was a waste of breath as England turned up for the 'Stanford Twenty20 for $20m' dreaming of riches before leaving with nothing. The batsmen were in generous mood, playing like millionaires and giving their wickets away with carefree abandon. England met a disciplined, talented and hugely motivated Stanford Superstars XI and were duly thumped by ten wickets. Chris Gayle is rarely one to reveal much emotion but after the match he admitted: "I've been really, really stressed out [and that the win] is better than anything in the world."
"If I get £300,000 after tax then I'd buy a bright pink Ferrari with it," quipped Graeme Swann. But with the worldwide recession in the headlines, captain Kevin Pietersen cautioned: "I respect everything that's happening in the world at the moment. I've got friends who are struggling, people who have lost their jobs and stuff, and there's no way I want anyone to carry on like a clown." Yet his statesman-like call for sensitivity was a waste of breath as England turned up for the 'Stanford Twenty20 for $20m' dreaming of riches before leaving with nothing. The batsmen were in generous mood, playing like millionaires and giving their wickets away with carefree abandon. England met a disciplined, talented and hugely motivated Stanford Superstars XI and were duly thumped by ten wickets. Chris Gayle is rarely one to reveal much emotion but after the match he admitted: "I've been really, really stressed out [and that the win] is better than anything in the world."
David Gower - When a gloat is not a gloat
David Gower's languid elegance with the bat and eloquence with his words often came back to haunt him. On occasions, such as his leg-side waft on the stroke of lunch of the 1991 Adelaide Ashes Test, he was fully to blame. Yet there were times when he wasn't. After leading England to an Ashes triumph in 1985, he responded to a journalist's question about the forthcoming tour of the West Indies, the undisputed heavyweights of the world game. Gower, with tongue firmly in cheek, declared "I'm sure they'll be quaking in their boots". Predictably England were mauled 5-0 for their second successive 'blackwash' series, and Gower was roundly lampooned for the remark.
David Gower's languid elegance with the bat and eloquence with his words often came back to haunt him. On occasions, such as his leg-side waft on the stroke of lunch of the 1991 Adelaide Ashes Test, he was fully to blame. Yet there were times when he wasn't. After leading England to an Ashes triumph in 1985, he responded to a journalist's question about the forthcoming tour of the West Indies, the undisputed heavyweights of the world game. Gower, with tongue firmly in cheek, declared "I'm sure they'll be quaking in their boots". Predictably England were mauled 5-0 for their second successive 'blackwash' series, and Gower was roundly lampooned for the remark.
Michael Vaughan - Massive Pads
You would have thought England captains would have learnt better than to sledge Graeme Smith. But tucked away safely in the commentary box during England's tour of South Africa in 2009-10, Michael Vaughan couldn't resist a little pop at the South African leader who'd seen the back of Vaughan one year before. He reckoned England had "nothing to fear from the South Africans" and that captain Graeme Smith had "massive pads" - ie, he was ripe for a lbw dismissal. Smith didn't respond directly but finished the series the highest scorer on either side, with 427 runs at 61.00. In his seven dismissals in the series he was out lbw just once.
You would have thought England captains would have learnt better than to sledge Graeme Smith. But tucked away safely in the commentary box during England's tour of South Africa in 2009-10, Michael Vaughan couldn't resist a little pop at the South African leader who'd seen the back of Vaughan one year before. He reckoned England had "nothing to fear from the South Africans" and that captain Graeme Smith had "massive pads" - ie, he was ripe for a lbw dismissal. Smith didn't respond directly but finished the series the highest scorer on either side, with 427 runs at 61.00. In his seven dismissals in the series he was out lbw just once.
Glenn McGrath - Five-nil
Glenn McGrath was never one to stand down from a pre-series verbal jousting match, and his prediction before the 2005 Ashes series of a 5-0 whitewash for Australia surprised very few. McGrath even went so far as to claim he would return to Australia by boat if England managed to somehow win their first Ashes series in 18 years. After his match-winning performance in the first Test at Lord's, things seemed to be going just the way he had predicted. But his ankle injury before the second Test at Edgbaston, and subsequent elbow trouble, reduced McGrath's potency and, despite Shane Warne's superhuman efforts, England took the edge in a thrilling series to prevail 2-1. However, this did not dissuade him from making a similar 5-0 prediction for the next Ashes series, in Australia in 2006-07 which, in the event, turned out to be true.
Glenn McGrath was never one to stand down from a pre-series verbal jousting match, and his prediction before the 2005 Ashes series of a 5-0 whitewash for Australia surprised very few. McGrath even went so far as to claim he would return to Australia by boat if England managed to somehow win their first Ashes series in 18 years. After his match-winning performance in the first Test at Lord's, things seemed to be going just the way he had predicted. But his ankle injury before the second Test at Edgbaston, and subsequent elbow trouble, reduced McGrath's potency and, despite Shane Warne's superhuman efforts, England took the edge in a thrilling series to prevail 2-1. However, this did not dissuade him from making a similar 5-0 prediction for the next Ashes series, in Australia in 2006-07 which, in the event, turned out to be true.
David Lloyd - We flippin' murdered 'em
England were the only country to vote against Zimbabwe's bid to gain full Test status and this perceived slight, as well as the colonial history between the two countries, meant that the Zimbabweans needed little to motivate themselves on England's first senior tour of the country. After a see-sawing first four days in the first Test at Bulawayo, England were set 205 to win in 37 overs on the final afternoon. Desperate bowling tactics by the Zimbabweans set up an extremely tight finish and, with Nick Knight run out attempting to scamper through for the winning runs, for the first time ever a drawn Test had finished with the scores level. David Lloyd, England's coach, was incensed by Zimbabwe's tactics and made his feelings known at the end of the match, famously claiming "we flippin' murdered 'em". It was not long before the remark came back to haunt him as, backed up by baying crowds, Zimbabwe demolished England in the one-day series which followed. "People have made comparisons between my 'murdered 'em' comment and Tony Greig's 'grovel'," Lloyd later admitted. "Sometimes you say things you regret and you just have to live with the consequences."
England were the only country to vote against Zimbabwe's bid to gain full Test status and this perceived slight, as well as the colonial history between the two countries, meant that the Zimbabweans needed little to motivate themselves on England's first senior tour of the country. After a see-sawing first four days in the first Test at Bulawayo, England were set 205 to win in 37 overs on the final afternoon. Desperate bowling tactics by the Zimbabweans set up an extremely tight finish and, with Nick Knight run out attempting to scamper through for the winning runs, for the first time ever a drawn Test had finished with the scores level. David Lloyd, England's coach, was incensed by Zimbabwe's tactics and made his feelings known at the end of the match, famously claiming "we flippin' murdered 'em". It was not long before the remark came back to haunt him as, backed up by baying crowds, Zimbabwe demolished England in the one-day series which followed. "People have made comparisons between my 'murdered 'em' comment and Tony Greig's 'grovel'," Lloyd later admitted. "Sometimes you say things you regret and you just have to live with the consequences."
Ricky Ponting - Ankle-biters' revenge
The regularity with which the major cricketing nations bash the minnows into submission belies the fact that these games do, once in a while, serve up a surprise result with slip-ups on the big stage of an international tournament being all the more embarrassing. Such was the case in Australia's first game of the World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007. Appearing distinctly under-cooked, Australia scrapped their way to 138 for 9 against Zimbabwe's medium-pacers. Amid scenes of jubilation from his team-mates, Brendan Taylor's perfectly-paced unbeaten 60 saw Zimbabwe home in the final over while the Australians seemed scarcely able to believe what had befallen them. But there was a feeling that Australia had this coming as their attitude towards Twenty20 had verged on the indifferent from the format's very inception, and at the end Ricky Ponting tellingly said "we've got to start respecting the game a bit more". He admitted he was embarrassed by the result adding that there "would be many Australians back home feeling the same way".
The regularity with which the major cricketing nations bash the minnows into submission belies the fact that these games do, once in a while, serve up a surprise result with slip-ups on the big stage of an international tournament being all the more embarrassing. Such was the case in Australia's first game of the World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007. Appearing distinctly under-cooked, Australia scrapped their way to 138 for 9 against Zimbabwe's medium-pacers. Amid scenes of jubilation from his team-mates, Brendan Taylor's perfectly-paced unbeaten 60 saw Zimbabwe home in the final over while the Australians seemed scarcely able to believe what had befallen them. But there was a feeling that Australia had this coming as their attitude towards Twenty20 had verged on the indifferent from the format's very inception, and at the end Ricky Ponting tellingly said "we've got to start respecting the game a bit more". He admitted he was embarrassed by the result adding that there "would be many Australians back home feeling the same way".
Brian Lara - West Indies World Cup disarray
Sometimes, actions speak louder than words. Brian Lara's conduct at the crease during West Indies' World Cup game against Kenya in Pune gave a good idea both of the legendary batsman's attitude towards Kenya's bowlers and the extent to which the once great West Indian team had disintegrated. After bundling Kenya out for 166, West Indies lost two early wickets but were still in a strong position. Sensible batting was all that was needed to complete the expected win, but Lara proceeded to throw his bat around as if he were in the nets, swishing at everything and almost being run out before he had faced ten balls. He gave his 11th, an innocuous looking delivery from Rajab Ali, the same treatment but succeeded only in edging it through to 'keeper Tariq Iqbal. Short, stout and bespectacled, Iqbal was not a natural behind the stumps but he managed to cling, somehow, onto the chance offered by Lara. The Kenyans, delirious with excitement, ran through the rest of the West Indian batting order to complete one of the biggest upsets in cricket history.
Sometimes, actions speak louder than words. Brian Lara's conduct at the crease during West Indies' World Cup game against Kenya in Pune gave a good idea both of the legendary batsman's attitude towards Kenya's bowlers and the extent to which the once great West Indian team had disintegrated. After bundling Kenya out for 166, West Indies lost two early wickets but were still in a strong position. Sensible batting was all that was needed to complete the expected win, but Lara proceeded to throw his bat around as if he were in the nets, swishing at everything and almost being run out before he had faced ten balls. He gave his 11th, an innocuous looking delivery from Rajab Ali, the same treatment but succeeded only in edging it through to 'keeper Tariq Iqbal. Short, stout and bespectacled, Iqbal was not a natural behind the stumps but he managed to cling, somehow, onto the chance offered by Lara. The Kenyans, delirious with excitement, ran through the rest of the West Indian batting order to complete one of the biggest upsets in cricket history.
Sahil Dutta and Liam Brickhill are assistant editors of Cricinfo