Top five moments where spirit of cricket was upheld

Ian Bell during Birmingham Test, 2011 (PC: Twitter)

Respect is integral to the spirit of cricket. Not just to your teammates, opponents or the umpires, but showing your admiration for the sport itself is what makes it a gentleman’s game.

With nation’s pride at the forefront, international players often tend to stray across the line, especially in the heat of the moment. But those who stay within the limits to set an example, are considered to be the true ambassadors of this beautiful sport.

Amidst an overwhelming rise of rugged competitiveness, as we see in international cricket these days, here we take a look back at five of the biggest moments where spirit of the game was upheld.

MS Dhoni calling back Ian Bell

On an eventful Day 3 of 2011’s Birmingham Test, hosts England were gradually building towards a monumental lead over then number one ranked side India. By the time Ian Bell reached 139* to mark one of his 22 Test hundreds, the cricketer was involved in a runout amidst the strangest of situations.

His partner, Eoin Morgan, had just played a shot, seemingly for a boundary, only for the ball to be pulled back by an Indian fielder in time. The ball was thrown back towards the stumps for his teammate to dislodge the bails, all while Bell was casually having a chat with Morgan at the other end.

Much to the crowd’s dismay, a clueless Bell walked off the field. Immediately after a short break, then Indian captain MS Dhoni called the batsman back to the crease by withdrawing his appeal.

The moment stood out as one of the game’s greatest moments, and was even acknowledged with an “ICC Spirit of the Decade” award years later at an ICC ceremony.

Adam Gilchrist’s famous walk-off

While there are not many who would walk off the field after edging a ball, there are even lesser who would do so at a stage as big as a World Cup semi-final, and certainly not during the pre-DRS era. But it was exactly what a certain Australian legend named Adam Gilchrist would do, in a 2003 semi-final against Sri Lanka.

The opening basher had got off the flier, for the umpteenth time in that tournament. After racing to 22, the cricketer swept with an inside edge onto the pads to Lankan keeper Kumar Sangakkara.

Safely pouched, it did not seem like umpire Rudi Koertzen was about to raise his finger, but he did raise much confusion and panic all in an instant within the Sri Lankan camp.

Meanwhile, a proud Gilchrist then decided to walk off and his conscientious moment has since become a celebrated part of World Cup’s non-statistical folklore.

Nepal’s Aasif Sheikh wins hearts with sportsmanship against Ireland

During a T20I quadrangular tri-series game in Oman in early 2022, Nepal’s wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh had refused to runout Ireland skipper Andy McBrine. The batter was involved in a nasty mid-pitch collision with Nepal speedster Kamal Airee during the penultimate over of Ireland’s innings.

As McBrine limped his way still several yards away from the crease, the wicketkeeper let the opportunity slide to upheld the spirit of cricket.

Deepak Chahar lets off Tristan Stubbs with a warning

At the height of Mankad dismissals, Indian all-rounder Deepak Chahar let off South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs with a mere warning. The incident occurred in a T20I game between the two nations in October 2022.

Stubbs was repeatedly seen backing up from his crease at the non-striker’s end. The Proteas’ batter was eventually dismissed a while later, albeit in a traditional manner by none other than Chahar himself.

Deepak Chahar warns Stubbs in October 2022

Daniel Vettori not appealing for runout

In a 2011 Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand at Bulawayo, Kiwi legend Daniel Vettori was involved in a collision with hosts batter Malcolm Waller. The incident caused Waller’s partner at the other end to be runout, only for Vettori to withdraw his appeal in an instant.

The cricketer’s moment of sportsmanship won hearts around the world, and he also has a ‘Spirit of Cricket’ award to show for it, with ICC rewarding him for the same later that year.

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