5 Famous Cricketers Who Blindly Follow Unusual Superstitions

From black cats to broken mirrors, a majority of us have been superstitious in one way or the other at some point in our lives. It might be a bit shocking for you to be convinced by the fact that even the most prominent international cricketers around the world have their own set of unusual superstitions that they blindly follow. From Zaheer Khan’s yellow handkerchief to Steve Waugh’s red handkerchief, numerous famous international cricketers around the world have openly confessed about the superstitions that they follow in a hope to perform better on the field.

In this article we will take a look at the top five most unusual superstitions followed by the most famous cricketers

5 Famous Cricketers Who Blindly Follow Unusual Superstitions

1. Lasith Malinga’s Unusual “Kiss” 

Have you ever noticed Lasith Malinga do a weird thing with the ball every time just before he runs to bowl his first delivery? Well, that’s Malinga’s unusual “kissing” superstition that has been going on since the time he made his debut for the Sri Lanka’s national cricket team in 2004.

Malinga once spilled details about his weird and unusual superstition and stated that he feels kissing the ball before unrolling his first delivery on the pitch adds a great deal of fortune for him. Lasith Malinga also faced a brutal backlash from numerous cricketers and veterans including Sachin Tendulkar for following up with his ball-kissing ritual during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. Zaheer Khan’s Lucky Yellow Handkerchief 

Former Indian pace bowler Zaheer Khan who dominated the opponent team with his annihilating pace deliveries for fourteen long years from 2000 to 2014 is on the second spot on our list of top five cricketers who blindly follow unusual superstitions. Zaheer Khan always kept a yellow handkerchief in his pocket while playing every sort of cricket match.

Zaheer Khan believed that keeping a yellow handkerchief in his pocket brought him a huge luck and boosted his performance on the field. Well, we believe in the fact that Zaheer Khan would have performed with the same intensity and excellence even without a yellow handkerchief in his pocket!

3. Steve Waugh’s Mysterious Red Handkerchief 

On the third spot on our list of top five cricketers who blindly follow unusual superstitions we have former Australian cricketer Steve Waugh. As a skipper of the Australian cricket team, Steve Waugh led the Aussies to a record sixteen consecutive test wins and an absolutely undefeated victory at the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

Well, you might be a bit surprised to know that the legendary former Australian cricketer, Steve Waugh has a huge credit of all his extraordinary achievements to his mysterious red handkerchief that he always used to keep inside his pocket while playing the most crucial matches from the Aussies side. Steve Waugh’s mysterious “red handkerchief” undoubtedly became a huge affair in the cricket world throughout his cricketing career and was seen as a lucky charm for the skipper.

4. Michael Clarke’s Loud Music 

Former Australian cricketer and skipper Michael Clarke is at the fourth spot on our list of top five cricketers who blindly followed unusual superstitions. With numerous path-breaking victories at the most prestigious tournaments including the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, 2007 Cricket World Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup there’s no doubt about the fact that Michael Clarke proved to be one of the greatest captains for the Australian cricket team.

Often hailed as “the winning captain” of the Aussies, Michael Clarke followed a weird superstition of listening to loud music before every match. The legendary cricketer once stated that listening to loud music just before the match acts as a good luck charm for him and also helps him concentrate more on the match and eliminate all sorts of distractions.

5. Sachin Tendulkar’s “left-pad-first” Charm 

The god of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar is at the fifth spot on our list of top five cricketers who blindly followed unusual superstitions. If you’re a fan of Tendulkar or if you have noticed his innings, all of his matches had one thing in common – he always used to put his left pad ahead. Well, the Master Blaster of Indian cricket believed that putting his left pad ahead of the right one used to bring him good fortune.

Interestingly, not many of his fans are aware about the fact that the pads worn by Tendulkar in the initial phase of his cricketing career were gifted to him by his brother. Tendulkar wore the same pad on his left leg during each match of his career, considering it to be lucky for him.