5 Cricketers Who Experienced Paranormal Activities

Shane Watson & Sourav Ganguly have experienced the paranormal during tours(Twitter)Shane Watson & Sourav Ganguly have experienced the paranormal during tours(Twitter)

Cricket is not just a game of skill and strategy, but also of uncanny tales and unexplained phenomena. Across the globe, legendary cricket venues are rife with stories of ghostly sightings and supernatural encounters.

Beyond the thunderous applause and close finishes, some players have whispered about spine-tingling encounters that go beyond the natural. Who knew that cricketers and their stories could serve up as many chills as it does thrills?

In this article, let’s take a look at the spine-chilling experiences of five cricketers who've come face-to-face with the paranormal.

5. Haris Sohail

Haris Sohail (Twitter)Haris Sohail (Twitter)

In early 2015, during Pakistan's cricket tour of New Zealand, batsman Haris Sohail faced an ordeal that was anything but ordinary.

One night at Christchurch’s Rydges Latimer hotel, Sohail experienced his bed shaking violently as if gripped by an unseen force.

Found later in a state of shock and fever, he recounted how the supernatural event had shaken him from his sleep.

Too frightened to stay alone, he spent the rest of the night in his coach’s room. The incident left him so disturbed that he sat out of a warm-up match the next day, as reported by The Guardian.

4. Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad (Twitter)Stuart Broad (Twitter)

Stuart Broad’s encounter at London’s Langham Hotel during the 2014 England-Sri Lanka Test series left him and his girlfriend utterly spooked.

The England pacer recounted how, amidst unbearable heat, bathroom taps mysteriously turned themselves on and off.

After switching rooms to escape the unnerving antics, Broad wasn’t the only one losing sleep—Ben Stokes and others felt a distinct presence on the notorious third floor.

3. Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik (Twitter)Dinesh Karthik (Twitter)

Dinesh Karthik revealed his own brush with the beyond during India's 2013 tour in South Africa.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik shared that he saw mysterious movements within his room during the night, describing the feeling as scary.

This chilling experience at an otherwise serene resort left him rattled and looking over his shoulder for the rest of the tour.

2. Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly (Twitter)Sourav Ganguly (Twitter)

During the 2002 India tour of England, captain Sourav Ganguly’s stay at Durham’s Lumley Castle proved to be anything but restful.

As described in Ian Botham’s book, "Beefy’s Cricket Tales," Ganguly was awoken multiple times by the sound of running water from the taps, only to find them turned off.

The unnerving repetition of this event drove him to abandon his luxurious suite and spend the night on the floor of teammate Robin Singh’s room as he vowed never to return to Lumley Castle.


1. Shane Watson

Shane Watson (Twitter)Shane Watson (Twitter)

Shane Watson’s 2005 stay at Lumley Castle—famous among cricketers for its ghostly residents—was marked by high tension and little sleep.

The Australian all-rounder was so unsettled by the scary atmosphere that he abandoned his room to sleep in teammate Brett Lee’s floor.

The team’s media manager, Belinda Dennett, supported the haunted claims, reporting ghostly figures and unexplained phenomena that turned a night at the castle into a nightmare.