Tabraiz Shamsi with his shoe phone celebration
There have been a few celebrations in the game which were way too aggressive, and there have also been some weird celebrations, leaving both teammates and fans in laughter. These were not just moments of wickets, they were filled with funny antics, which makes them a spectacle. Let’s take a look at some of the weirdest celebrations by the bowlers in cricket history.
During the clash between India and Pakistan at the Champions Trophy 2025, there have been various memorable moments for the fans. But the best of them all was neither India winning the match nor Virat Kohli’s century to finish the game, it was the cold celebration of Abrar Ahmed after taking the wicket of Shubman Gill. Coming out to chase the score of 242, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opened the innings for the Indian team.
In the 18th over, Abrar Ahmed took the wicket of Shubman Gill, tackling him with his spin delivery, which went right to the stump. But it was not just the delivery that impressed the fans, his celebration, which included a send-off to Gill, was also impressive. For some, this celebration could have been aggressive, but Abrar Ahmed has celebrated the same across various matches he played and is known for the send-off celebration. India won the match by 6 wickets, but Ahmed took a wicket and conceded just 28 runs in 10 overs.
Born to be a Marathon Racer, and forced to be a cricketer, Imran Tahir has also been popular for his weird celebrations after taking a wicket. Being a legendary spin bowler for the South African team, he is more known for his celebration than his wicket-taking abilities these days. After dismissing the batsman, Tahir sprints across the field like he’s running for a gold medal in the marathon.
His celebrations have also been a meme sensation on the internet, with several meme pages editing his celebrations and putting them into the marathon races with other known racers. Throughout his career, Imran Tahir has taken 533 wickets in his T20 career, including 63 wickets in the T20 internationals.
One of the most memorable celebrations in cricket history has been the “shoe phone” celebration, which started as a controversial one. The South African spinner, after taking a wicket, celebrates by taking his shoe off and putting it close to his ear, just like a phone. During the T20I game against India in 2019, he did a celebration after taking the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan, which came out to be controversial.
But later, Shamsi clarified his actions with the celebration and said that he didn’t have any intention to hurt any player or disrespect them. He also said that through this celebration, he talks notoriously to the third umpire, confirming the wicket of the batsman. However, this celebration still leaves various fans to laugh as they now wait for Tabraiz Shamsi to take a wicket and give them this beautiful send-off.
Sheldon Cotrell, the Windies bowler, has an iconic “salute celebration” for which he has been popular among cricket fans, which quickly became the funniest. After taking a wicket, Cotrell does a little march past and proceeds to perform a salute. This is not just a celebration; it is also linked to his background, as he was previously a soldier in the Jamaica Defence Force.
As his celebrations went viral on the internet, he made it clear that the celebrations were in respect to the military, as well as his own pride. The celebration was even more covered during the 2019 World Cup when it was held in England and Wales. In the match against Australia, he sent both David Warner and Glenn Maxwell from the field. As well as on the cricket ground, his salute has to do with his individual journey from that of a soldier to someone who achieves greatness as an international cricketer.
Digvesh Singh Rathi, a debutant in the IPL 2025, who plays for Lucknow SuperGiants, has also been impressive with his celebrations. Playing for Delhi in domestic cricket, he was signed by LSG in the auction for just 30 lakh INR. Fans thought Digvesh would be dominating with his underrated spin bowling, but he has also made his name for the iconic “notebook” celebration, which reminded the fans of Kesrick Williams, the Windies bowler.
After taking a wicket, Rathi would go on to celebrate by showing that he was writing the name of the batsman in his notebook. This celebration has been iconic, but it has also attracted various fines to Digvesh Rathi, as he has paid a total of 5,62,500 INR in the same. Still, he continues to dominate in the Indian Premier League, as he has gained the much-needed attention from the fans and selectors.
Pakistan playing a match with no funny moments is just like tea without sugar, always incomplete. There have been various Pakistani players who have entertained the field with their play style or silly mistakes, but Hasan Ali has been the only one who entertained the fans with his celebration. After dismissing the batsman, Hasan Ali does his iconic “generator” celebration, spreading his hands out and giving a power surge.
But this celebration has not always gone in his favour, as in 2018, after taking the wicket of Ryan Murray, Hasan Ali did the “generator” move and ended up with a sprain in his shoulder. This move also had to pause the match for a while, since what started as a celebration ended with some pain for Ali. Even after that, when he returned and took wickets, his teammates reminded him about his injury before he started to do the pose. Recently, in the Vitality Blast, he injured his ribs while doing the celebration, due to which it is also called the deadly but weirdest celebration in cricket history.
One of the best spinners for the Indian cricket team in the shortest format, Yuzvendra Chahal, also stands in the list of the funniest celebrations in the game. During the 2019 World Cup, Chahal was substituted for a game, and he did the iconic sitting pose while standing beyond the boundary line. This moment further became a meme on the internet, as Chahal turned it into a celebration.
In the Indian Premier League history, Chahal has taken two hat-tricks, as one came with the Rajasthan Royals and the other came earlier this season with Kings XI Punjab. During the 2025 clash against Chennai Super Kings, he took a hat-trick, and after the third consecutive wicket, he did the iconic “sitting pose” celebration once again. It gave fans the reminder that Chahal is still the guy who makes every teammate and fan laugh.
Dwayne Bravo, one of the finest bowling all-rounders in cricket history, is also known for his hilarious moments on the field. After the West Indies won the 2016 World Cup, he sang a song for his team’s win, naming it “Champion”. It ended up being a viral song, after which Bravo also used the dance steps of the same as a celebration whenever he took a wicket.
Following that, he also did the same celebration various times in the Indian Premier League, where he played a vital role for the Chennai Super Kings. Even in some videos, it can be seen that Bravo was singing the song in the team bus while other CSK teammates were vibing to the same. This shows that Bravo not only brought the wickets to his team but also helped in releasing the pressure with his iconic dance moves.
Mohammed Siraj, the fiery pacer of the Indian cricket team, is often regarded for his aggressive celebration after taking a wicket, which was also seen in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But one of his memorable celebrations is the iconic “Siu”, which was made popular by Cristiano Ronaldo, the most followed athlete on the internet.
After taking a wicket, Siraj takes a run-up like Ronaldo and jumps with the “Siu” celebration. In the IPL 2025 season, playing against his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Siraj had some emotional moments against Virat Kohli. But after taking the wicket of Phil Salt, who had already smashed a boundary against him, Siraj went on with his iconic celebration, attracting the crowd at his former home ground.