Ben Stokes, England’s all-rounder, was arrested by police in connection with an assault involving a 27-year-old in Bristol just days before the announcement of their Ashes squad. Stokes isn’t the first international cricketer to be embroiled in a controversy of this kind. The Bengaluru Police detained Amit Mishra for possession of illegal drugs. Numerous cricketers have been arrested for reasons ranging from possession of illegal drugs to sexual assault. In Bengaluru, police arrested Indian legspinner Amit Mishra for allegedly assaulting a woman in his hotel room. During the India South Africa series, the case created quite a frenzy, with Mishra dominating headlines. Currently, he is out on bail. Mishra is not the first cricketer to be put behind bars for sexual assault. The following are 10 such cricketers who were arrested for criminal offenses.
1. Vinod Kambli
Vinod Kambli, a former Indian cricketer, was arrested with his wife in August 2015. Their maid filed a FIR against him and his wife. In her complaint, the maid detailed how Kambli and his wife assaulted her when she went to ask for her salary.
The FIR described how the left-handed batsman beat her up, locked her in a room, and warned her never to return. Former India opener who opened the batting with Sachin Tendulkar denied the allegations, claiming that the maid did not have proper identification.
2. Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini, a speedster from South Africa, was arrested in 1998 for involvement in a sexual assault controversy. A cricketer from East London was arrested for raping a woman. The court proceedings were unable to prove Ntini’s guilt, so he was spared a six-year prison sentence. He spent a short time in jail. Outside the court, fans celebrated the release of Ntini, the first black player to play for the Proteas.
He has taken 309 wickets from 101 tests he played in and 266 wickets from 173 matches in the 50 over format of the game. Ntini has also played for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
3. Shane Warne
Besides his ability to turn the cricket ball, Shane Warne was also known for his controversies off the field. Warne’s career as a cricketer was threatened in 2003 after he was accused of sending lewd texts to a South African woman. There was no proof of the allegations made by either Warne or Cricket Australia as Warne sought legal advice to get himself out of the situation.
Playboy cover girl, Emily Scott, was also spotted kissing Warne. During his career, Warne had many adventures and misadventures with women, and was last seen kissing Playboy cover girl Emily Scott.
4. Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu and his aide Rupinder Singh Sandhu killed a man in a road rage incident in 1988. Sidhu, a former BJP MP, got into a fight with Gurnam Singh, a 50-year-old victim of the accident. The older man was beaten after a brawl over a road incident.
Gurnam died on the way to the hospital, and Sidhu could have faced a 10 year sentence.
5. Peter Roebuck
Roebuck, who was born in England, was the subject of a sexual assault scandal that claimed his life in 2011.
A Zimbabwean man was sexually assaulted within Roebuck’s hotel room at the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town in November 2011. Police were called to Roebuck’s hotel room at the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, to arrest him.
As Roebuck realized the consequences of his arrest and the effect it would have on his reputation, he jumped from the sixth floor and ended his life.
6. Luke Pomersbach
IPL (in 2012) cricketer Luke Pomersbach was arrested for allegedly molesting a woman from the United States. Luke molest the woman and then beat up her boyfriend afterward. Later, the Australian was suspended from the remainder of the tournament.
He played for Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challengers Bangalore and Preity Zinta’s Kings XI Punjab. In 2014, the left-handed batsman retired from cricket due to physical and mental health problems.
7. Wasim Akram (with three others)
In 1993, while Pakistan was touring the West Indies, Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed, and Mushtaq Ahmed were arrested on the beach for possession of an illegal drug, believed to be marijuana. Later, the police tested the drug, but initially thought it was marijuana.
They were released on bail and Nestor Ogilvy, the police commissioner, could not predict when the case would be heard.
An off-duty policeman was jogging on the beach when he made the arrest, according to witnesses. According to the policemen, no drugs were found on the players or anyone in their company but the substances were found nearby.
8. Shahadat Hossain
Cricketer Shahadat Hossain, a fugitive from Bangladesh, was remanded in jail on October 5 this year after surrendering to a court over allegations of beating his 11-year old maid, his lawyer said. Hossain, 38, was finally arrested by police after hiding for three weeks and eluding arrest. He was charged for physically abusing a girl who was appointed as a maid illegaly.He was charged with physically abusing a girl who had been illegally appointed as a maid.
He has taken 70 wickets in 36 tests and 51 ODIs, respectively.
9. Mohammad Asif
Mohammad Asif, a Pakistani speedster, was arrested in Dubai during his prime on charges of possessing illegal drugs. After his debut IPL season, the cricketer returned to the league. Asif was reported to be carrying opium.
Cricketer detained at Dubai airport. Asif spent 19 days in detention for carrying the drug, even though he claimed he didn’t know what it was and last used it four months earlier. According to Asif, the substance was prescribed to him by a local Hakeem for energy and blood pressure control.
10. Rubel Hossain
Besides being a fast bowler, Rubel Hossain also works as an actor in the film industry. After getting intimate with her, Rubel did not honor his promise of marriage.
The bowler was held by the police before the start of the ICC World Cup in Australia as a result of the complaint. The Bangladesh Cricket Board saved the cricketer by securing his release based on “national interest”.
After Rubel’s outstanding performance at the World Cup where he gave his all, the woman took back the charges.