Cricketers often pull off some eye-catching antics on the field, and while most of these are an outcome of an altercation with a player from the opposite team, some of these antics are uncontrollable reactions, the sources of which need to be revealed to the world today. I’ve handpicked a few instances wherein the concerned cricketers convinced me that they were drunk AF. Just having some fun, so here goes…
Sreesanth
Sreesanth always looked like he was high on the cricket field, and it would show a lot when he would take his wickets. Remember his booty dance when he threw the ball in the air in jubilation, after taking the wicket of Andrew Symonds? What makes the cut here though is his unforgettable bat rotating dance after he smashed another seemingly perpetually drunk cricketer, Andre Nel, for a six. Perhaps the number of bat rotations signified the number of pegs he downed before coming in to bat? Watch it here.
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is a rather flamboyant cricketer, but there is a thin line of difference between flamboyance and, in this case, unsobriety. I’m talking about the instance when he broke into a rather weird walk after collecting the ball hit by Shane Watson towards him (apparently mocking him with reference to an earlier incident in the match). Hey Shikhar, I refuse to believe that this is true. Just out with it already, what alcohol did you consume in the mid-innings break before coming out to field? Watch the video here
Kieron Pollard
This is another conspiracy theory from the IPL that I want to debunk right now. Kieron Pollard, the big West Indian in an IPL match against RCB in 2015, taped his mouth after the on-field officials seemed to warn him. This, after a verbal altercation with his fellow country man Chris Gayle, earlier in the match. Oh come on Kieron, it’s been 2 years now. Just tell everybody the truth that you were afraid of the umpires sensing your alcohol influenced breath after downing some Caribbean rum you carried to India, in the changeover break. The IPL is an extended 2 month party for you, after all. I can understand. Trust me, the world will understand too. If only you told the truth. Check it out
Javed Miandad
Javed bhai, when do you plan on revealing to the world that your infamous monkey jumps in front of Kiran More (the less drunk among the two that night) was not a way of you trying to mock him, but a way of you trying to channelise your ‘Unsobered’ shenanigans when it unexpectedly began to surface in the middle of the match for you? Apparently, Murre beer is famous in Pakistan. Tell us Javed bhai. What was it? Also, I struggle to channelise my drunkenness at times. You proved, with action, that it can be done effectively. Watch it here
Chris Lynn
Chris Lynn has arguably taken the best catch in ten years of the IPL, but I refuse to believe that it was just athleticism that led to this stunner dismiss AB De Villiers. If you look closely, Lynn first slipped as the ball was swooping down on him, the first sign of him being in an inebriated state. And then, magically, he recovers in a split second to spring up (quite literally) a surprise catch, like a really twisted LIIT that surprises the fuck out of you. And the final telling sign was his understated reaction after taking the catch. Come on Lynny, if that was a sober catch, you wouldn’t have reacted that way. You would’ve intuitively shown a reaction of surprise or excitement on pulling off this blinder. That’s what a normal person would’ve done. What was the poison, mate? Victoria Bitter? Watch
