Now Reading: Cricket cheating goes viral: ‘Clicky’ Ponting draws 7 million views
-
01
Cricket cheating goes viral: ‘Clicky’ Ponting draws 7 million views
A club cricketer in England's North Yorkshire and South Durham League briefly became the world's most famous player after video of his cheating went viral. Brian Devine, known as 'Clicky' Ponting, fielded…
The Story in Brief
A club cricketer in England's North Yorkshire and South Durham League briefly became the world's most famous player after video of his cheating went viral. Brian Devine, known as 'Clicky' Ponting, fielded at first slip and clicked his fingers as the ball passed the bat, fooling the umpire into giving the batsman out. The stunt drew seven million views on social media.
Devine, 38, has been suspended indefinitely by his club Saltburn. In the 13 matches he played, wicketkeepers took 39 catches; in seven matches without him, only five. The Hindu reports this incident is part of a long tradition of cheating in cricket, from W.G. Grace to the 2018 sandpapergate scandal.
The Indian Opinion
The outrage over 'Clicky' Ponting's finger-clicking dismissal proves cricket loves a moral panic. But the sport has always harboured cheats, from W.G. Grace to sandpapergate. Selective amnesia lets fans decry a club-level prank while tolerating established sins like not walking. The real question: if umpires can be fooled by a finger snap, how many genuine edges have they missed? The number of extra catches taken with Devine in the side says enough.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
