Cricket Bloopers: When the English Crowd Showed the World How to Truly Enjoy Test Cricket
Cricket in England has always been historic, filled with amazing moments between the players. From wicked bouncers to classic cover drives, every ball comes out to be a thriller on the English pitches.
But, there is another element which makes the game enjoyable, which definitely is the crowd. The English crowd has been known for its cheering and support for the players, but it sometimes goes even wilder than expected. Fans take over the command with their chants and taunts to the players, acting as a funny way to entertain during the game. Here, we will be taking a look at the list of moments when English fans got wild on or with the players.
Mocking Virat Kohli
India’s tour of England has been mostly a disappointing one for the Indian team, having won just three tours in England. In 2014, when India went on a tour to England, Virat Kohli was not able to perform well as he scored just 134 runs in 10 innings. Four years later, the Kohli-led Indian side went to England.
When the team arrived at the stadium, the English fans were seen chanting, “where’s your Virat Kohli gone, we have James Anderson…” This acted as a taunt for the Indian fans, as India did perform well in the first match against England, where Kohli came as the lone warrior with the bat.
He scored 149 runs in the first innings, which was followed by a half-century in the team’s second innings. Despite that, it was not enough for India to win as the team fell short by 31 runs to chase the target. Even after facing a lot of criticism ahead of the series regarding his form in England, Kohli was able to defy all in the first Test.
There were some English fans who surely were impressed with his performances, as the game could have gone either way if he remained not out. The other fans took the trolling way to take a cheeky dig at the new captain of the Indian team, even after he scored 200 runs in the game. The Bharat Army was also seen chanting in support of Kohli, as they said:
We’ve got Kohli, Virat Kohli, I just don’t think you understand, he’s MS Dhoni’s man, he smashes Pakistan, we’ve got Virat Kohli!
Smith Trolled Relentlessly
The Ashes is not just a battle between England and Australia with the bat and ball, as fans also play an X-factor in the game. Some are able to support the home team while the others look forward to sledging the opposition using their past. This incident took place during the Ashes 2023, which was hosted in England.
After the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, Steve Smith received a lot of backlash and even missed out on the sport being suspended for a while. Fast forward to the Ashes 2023, hosted by England, Steve Smith faced not only the English players but also the fans, who trolled him relentlessly.
The fans were seen mocking Smith by chanting, “Saw you crying on telly,” noting the fact that the Australian batsman shed some tears when he encountered the media regarding the scandal. It surely was a tough battle at that time, not only for Steve Smith but also for the entire Australian team.
To the sledges done by the English fans, it seemed like Smith didn’t take it seriously, as he just laughed it off. England’s bowler was also seen laughing at the way fans can troll a player like Steve Smith based on the actions he did in the past.
Fans Tease, Siraj Responds
India’s tour of England under the captaincy of Virat Kohli saw a new face of the team, where players went aggressive. During the India tour of England 2021-22, India started off the series with an amazing win in the first match. The next match resulted in a draw, after which both teams went for the third clash in Headingley.
In the third match, India decided that they would bat first, but the decision surely didn’t come in the favour of the captain. James Anderson was able to trouble the top-order, putting India three down at the score of 21. Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit tried their best to settle down, but fell to English bowlers, bowling India all out at the score of 78.
Coming out to bat in the second innings, England had a great finish to day one, as Hameed and Rory Burns were able to create a 100+ run stand for the first wicket. But towards the end of the final session, a banter took place between Siraj and the English crowd. When the ball reached a crowd and Siraj went to receive the same, he was hit by the throw of English fans.
After this, he responded by showing 1-0 to the crowd, showcasing that India has a lead of 1-0 in the series. Rishabh Pant, India’s wicket-keeper, talked about the incident and said:
I think, somebody (from the crowd) threw a ball at Siraj, so he (Kohli) was upset.
Jaiswal Grooves for Fans
One moment of the English fans stealing the spotlight with the players was also seen in the first Test match between India and England at Headingley. Under their new captain, Shubman Gill, India did not have a good start to the series as the team was not able to defend the score of 371.
Although it could be called a team failure, the mistakes made by Yashasvi Jaiswal on the field have made him the main culprit for the loss. Even after scoring a century in the first innings, he went on to drop four catches in the match, which cost India their match. This also includes the catch of Ben Duckett when he was close to a century, and later went on to score 149 runs during the chase.
Shortly after dropping the catch of Ben Duckett, Yashasvi Jaiswal was spotted at the boundary line showcasing his dance moves to the English crowd. Since his fielding skills went in favour of England, the crowd also liked his dancing skills. The video of Jaiswal dancing in front of the crowd immediately went viral, as it received mixed reactions.
The English crowd was a bit engaged with his interaction with them, while he also received backlash from the Indian supporters. In the first innings, Jaiswal dropped a few catches at the slip, due to which the captain moved him towards the boundary line. But wherever he went, aerial shots always found him, due to which he dropped important chances in the game.
“Cheaters” Chants Return
Team Australia has not been the same since the Sandpaper scandal, which took place in 2018, and this incident also put the cheaters tag on them. Under the captaincy of Pat Cummins, Australia went to England for the Ashes in 2023, and another moment took place between the Aussies and the English crowd.
During the second match of the Ashes, Jonny Bairstow was playing well for England. After the final ball of the over, he stepped away from the crease, and Alex Carey made an underarm throw which hit the stumps. Following that, the entire Australian team started to appeal for the wicket of Bairstow to the umpires.
Bairstow stood at his place as the umpires checked on the decision, and eventually he was given out on the delivery. Walking back disappointed, it was not just Bairstow who wanted to take revenge; it was also the English fans. Later, when the session break was announced, Australian players were marching back to the dressing room.
In their way, the English crowd was seen chanting:
Same old Aussies, Always Cheating
and these chants were repeatedly heard by the Australian team. Some players also described their experience with their captain, Pat Cummins, saying that it seemed the team had ripped the soul out of the English fans. Their reactions and the entire incident are also available in the Test series of the Australian team, which can be found on Amazon Prime.
A Sandpaper Goodbye
The English crowd not only entertains with its chants, but it is also able to entertain with some send-offs. Such an incident was seen during the Ashes 2019, which was hosted in England. What made this series more historic was the return of David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, and Steven Smith in England, after they received a suspension following the ball-tampering scandal.
It was surely expected that some crowd banter would be taking place in the match against the Aussies. During the first match at Edgbaston, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft came to open the innings for the team. They were able to tackle the opening bowlers well, as the duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson gave them some challenges.
Bancroft had a settled score, but Warner got out after scoring just 2 runs. As David Warner was heading towards the pavilion, the English crowd gave him a send-off which he will definitely not be able to forget. The crowd showcased Sandpaper to Warner as he was going back, and it acted as a remembrance of the sandpaper scandal due to which he served a suspension.
Although it was the English bowlers who had a great start to the day, it was the English crowd which stole the day with their impressive send-offs. This moment showcased that the crowd will be able to entertain the players and commentators not only with their chants but also in some other exciting ways.
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