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5 Cricketers who returned to play after facing a ban

Utkarsh Bhatla
Published

Mohammad Amir

Instances of players involved in foul activities in the game of cricket come to light every now and then. While some face life bans, others serve their terms and return to contribute to the game. Although this has always been a moot point whether such players should be allowed to make a comeback or not, it eventually boils down to the extent of involvement in the activity. Here at The SportsRush we look at 5 Cricketers who returned to play after facing a ban

 1) Mohammad Ashraful

Mohammad Ashraful is the most recent cricketer who has returned after facing a ban
Mohammad Ashraful is the most recent cricketer who has returned after facing a ban

At the early age of seventeen Bangladesh fans called him their answer to ‘Sachin Tendulkar’. Such early praise! Ashraful is undoubtedly talented, but his records never reflected it. Before he could do anything significant he got involved in spot fixing controversy in 2013, which he admitted to do in the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League). He was allegedly paid $12,800 for losing a match in the second edition of BPL.

Ashraful got banned for 8 years from all forms of cricket which was later reduced to 3 years. His has completed his term recently and will soon return to domestic cricket.

2) Marlon Samuels

Marlon Samuels Source: realmfgy.com
Marlon Samuels
Source: realmfgy.com

Samuels’ aggression on and off the field needs no introduction. He is as ferocious off the field with his words, as he is on the field with the bat. Much like Ashraful, he was compared to the great Brain Lara early in his career and eventually couldn’t live up to the expectations.

He was already banned from bowling in International cricket when a bigger blow struck him. ICC considered the evidence provided by Indian police over his involvement with bookies. He compromised on some information for monetary benefit.

This led to a 2 year ban which he served before returning to cricket immediately after the 2011 world cup. He has since been a consistent performer in all forms of cricket. He was the hero of the T20 world cup win for West Indies in

3) Herschelle Gibbs

Herschelle_Gibbs_WallpapersA backword point specialist and a merciless opening batsman, Gibbs is a South African super-hero. His career was no less than a blockbuster movie with records, failures and controversies featuring in bits and pieces. One innings that will be remembered the most, is his 175 off 111 balls while successfully chasing down a target of 434 set by Australia at Johannesburg.

Gibbs was involved in a match-fixing controversy with Hansie Cronje. He was reportedly offered $15, 000 to score less than 20 runs in the third ODI against India. He later explained that he did not keep up to his end of the bargain as he scored 74 in that match. As a result he was banned for only six months.

4) Ajay Jadeja

Ajay Jadeja was at the helm of controversies in Indian cricket
Ajay Jadeja was at the helm of controversies in Indian cricket

A great career in the making was cut short when Ajay Jadeja was banned from all forms of cricket for 5 years in early 2000.

Jadeja had served as the vice-captain of the Indian team and was a probable future leader. Things didn’t go well as he was one amongst those named in a CBI report against match fixing. The proof was never to be found, but the BCCI imposed a 5-year ban. The ban was quashed by the Delhi High Court eventually and Jadeja was eligible to play domestic and international cricket. The damage was done though.

5) Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir was involved in probably the biggest match fixing incident of the last decade
Mohammad Amir was involved in probably the biggest match fixing incident of the last decade

A fairy-tale comeback is what defines Mohammad Amir’s career. Again, a promising start to a young career was marred by an unfortunate event. In an investigation it was revealed that Amir, along with his team-mate, Mohammad Asif, deliberately bowled no-balls in the Lords Test in return for payment from a betting syndicate. This resulted in Amir been banned for 5 years in February 2011. Amir was also sentenced to six months in a Young Offenders Institution in Feltham. He was released in February 2012.

The recent concluded test series against England saw the return of Amir in test cricket and his performance was up to the mark. Life has come a full circle for him.

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