Cricket’s Biggest Controversies: From Spot-Fixing to DRS Disputes

Cricket, a game that most of the countries love. After all, it is not alien to controversies that shake the foundations of the game. The number of scandals and disputes engulfing the game over the years that claimed headlines in the latest cricket updates can run into numbers without end. From the jaw-dropping spot-fixing scandal to the controversy with the Decision Review System, at times those controversies overrode the beauty of the game. We have dived into some of the greatest controversies in cricket history. Here are all the cricket updates that fans still debate on:

1. The Spot-Fixing Scandal: A Dark Chapter

This year 2010 also went on to become quite notorious for the scandal of most scandals that threatened to shake cricket to its very roots; this was because of the spot-fixing scandal whereby it emerged that three Pakistani players accepted money from a bookmaker to throw no-balls deliberately during the game during Pakistan's tour of England. Bans were handed out, and Amir was back in the world of international cricket.

This scandal is still echoing in the updated news of cricket in the modern world of cricket and parallels to another major issue of match-fixing while at the same time, there is always something that the authorities have been hunting for not to let that take place.

2. Ball Tampering: The 2018 Australian Saga

It is always controversy surrounding cricket, and here again, the Aussies proved to be the talk of town by ball-tampering with the ball when they visited South Africa on their 2018 tour. With Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft belonging to the Australian cricket team being found to tamper with the ball with the help of sandpaper, this said controversy has left the cricket fraternity in bad shape. This scandal was later tagged as "Sandpapergate." Deep reactions followed this scandal because it led to the suspension of all the years for Smith and Warner while Bancroft faced a nine-month ban from playing.

It put a huge dint on the image of Australian cricket. The world witnessed all the developments related to live cricket updates. Even the notoriety associated with that incident is one of the talking points while the Australian team plays high-stakes matches these days.

3. DRS Debate: Scrutiny Through Technology

DRS was invented for cricket so that it could eventually become a game which is more just and accurate. It, however generated many controversies with its adoption. Even in its very first application the most serious controversy that has surrounded the application of the DRS was when the ace batsman of the Indian cricket team Sachin Tendulkar was declared LBW against him in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup-a decision that was overturned in its review. Again, inconsistency in its application provided ground for argument on its credibility.

Players and the fans do not waste much time in letting the world know how frustrated they are with the DRS decisions, and technology ends up emerging as much of the talking point of latest cricket updates when teams face both sides of the coin while going down the lane.

Yet, still, after all these years on its development stage, the system is still at its vulnerable stage and most of these are at the major tournaments.

4. The Underarm Incident: A Case of Sportsmanship

The most scandalous incident of cricket ever occurred in the 1981 Australia-New Zealand match. In that match, Australian captain Greg Chappell asked his brother Trevor Chappell to bowl the last ball of the game underarm so that New Zealand wouldn't be able to hit a six and win the game. That's been a legal act for centuries and is still considered a monstrous crime against sporting manners - latest cricket updates.

These loads of fury weren't there only in the eyes of the spectators but also inside cricket players till date. With this controversy, a real classic of bad sportsman spirit had earned in the latest cricket news; after the game, the rules were rewritten so that something like this would never be seen again.

5.Monkeygate Scandal: Racial Tensions in the Field:

Many controversies in cricket have seen races. Yet, of all these, the worst has been that of "Monkeygate" associated with the controversy during India's tour of Australia in 2008. The Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was accused of racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds using the derogatory term of "monkey." As usual, the case again proved to be a fierce battle between the teams and had to go for court hearing.

Controversy behind it carried some sensitive racial undertones hence the latest cricket updates were followed closely by cricket fans as the ICC intervened to resolve the matter. The Indian was given a three-match ban but he appealed and that got overturned but still the incident left a dent in the cricket relations between the two nations for long.

6. England's 'Bodyline' Series: When Tactics Crossed All Limits

Among its first and hottest controversies was 'bodyline' bowling in the 1932-33 Ashes series when England hosted Australia. Captain Douglas Jardine's men had challenged the legitimacy of the tactic, where the bowlers used to target the body of the batsmen to force mistakes. But it was very much within the letter of the law, and the tactic was dangerous and unsporting; it created an outcry in Australia, which later became diplomatic heat between the two countries.

It is written vividly in cricketing history as the subject of latest cricket updates: aggressive and unsporting tactics that built up the bodyline controversy.

7. IPL Spot-Fixing Scandal: Corruption in T20 Cricket

The first full-scale blaze into the world's most sought-after cricket league: IPL was spot-fixing in the year 2013. Many branded players as guilty, and among them, Sreesanth one of the most famous among them was accused of losing deliberately on money for the bookmaker. Suspensions, bans, and a tattered image of the league followed the incident.

It has since been acting on strict measures against corruption but that shadow of the 2013 scandal will forever cast a shadow over there on the tournament. Sport fans are still eagerly following cricket updates to see if it has already overcome its thorny past.

8. The 2019 World Cup Final: A Heroic End

Yes, even though it ended in controversy, tied at the last when a Super Over played to decide was also tied, the nature of the final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup between England and New Zealand certainly glows at the very top of cricket history. A number of boundaries took England home to win-a rule that did prove pretty popular.

Many of the fans and players appealed to a change in the rule, and eventually, ICC banned the rule. The incident makes one point in live cricket updates where continuous debates can be found whether the result was fair or not.

9. Mohammad Azharuddin Match-Fixing Scandal

He was involved in one of the biggest scandals cricket ever faced, actually match-fixing with some of the key players including former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin. He was banned for life for such accusations and the outcome; his ban was reverted in 2012 though still this scandal marred a virtually impeccable career. 

Till date, a hot live cricket update of involvement of Azharuddin in the match-fixing scandal comes up when the topic of corruption in cricket comes into discussion.

10. The Shane Warne and Mark Waugh Bribery Scandal

This culminated into an outright scandal in 1994 when it was confirmed that Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Mark Waugh had taken money from an Indian bookmaker in lieu of pitch and weather information. Though the players were penalized, this remained a closed incidence till it broke out in 1998 and sparked a media blitzkrieg.

While this scandal is not as easily recalled as that, it typifies the latest cricket updates and falls under the broad category of some of the earliest examples of dangers developed by betting-related corruption in cricket.

Conclusion

Cricket and controversies don't seem much of a difference within them as many scandals are yet to make headlines through live cricket updates. The similarity still exists with these scandals reminding all that the need to show transparency, integrity, and fairness at any cost should exist in the game of cricket. But hopefully, cricket's future is free of such dark hours, and the beauty of the game will be brought forward once more.