Cricket stars who have been accused of rape, their careers ruined
Cricket News Desk. Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been dropped from the team for the T20 series against New Zealand starting from November 19. After this setback, Pandya is now in more trouble after allegations of rape and molestation. According to reports, the complaint has been filed by a woman named Rehnuma Bhati, who is the wife of notorious gangster Riyaz Bhati. It is said that Riyaz Bhati is a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Apart from Pandya, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla and former fast bowler Munaf Patel are also named in the complaint. Interestingly, Mumbai Police has not yet accepted the FIR because the complainant is linked to the underworld. However, the police have started investigation. Reports say that the complaint was filed in September this year, but the police are yet to find any evidence. Based on this, we explore nine cricketers who have been accused or convicted of rape.
Hardik Pandya Being in controversies is nothing new for the Mumbai Indians star all-rounder and a new allegation has once again brought it into focus. Pandya, who has a child with partner Natasha Stankovic, was one of the high-profile names mentioned by the woman who accused her husband of forcing her to sleep with people, including Hardik. We do not know whether these comments are baseless or have any truth in them. Once the police investigate, something may come to light. Pandya recently represented India in the ICC T20 World Cup, but was dropped from the team due to poor form. He has also been struggling with a shoulder injury recently.
2. Munaf Patel
The 2011 World Cup winner was also accused of rape by Rehnuma Bhati, who is the wife of notorious gangster Riyaz Bhati. In her complaint, Rehnuma claimed that she was forced to sleep with former Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel in a hotel room. Munaf was one of the best fast bowlers of his time, but in the last few years he has completely disappeared from cricket related activities.
3. Shoaib Akhtar
The former Pakistani fast bowler was wrongly accused of rape in 2005. This incident happened during Pakistan's tour of Australia in 2005. According to Shoaib, there was some misunderstanding between a Pakistani player and a girl, due to which he was accused of molestation. Everyone was suspicious of him and urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to issue a clarification, but asked the officials not to reveal the name of the player who had the misunderstanding with the girl. The governing body of Pakistan cricket had issued a clarification rejecting media reports of Shoaib Akhtar being held guilty.
4. Makhaya Ntini
In early 1999, former South African fast bowler Ntini was accused and convicted of rape. Ntini, who was the first black cricketer to play for South Africa, claimed his innocence and was later acquitted. He retired from cricket in 2009. Ntini played 109 Test matches and took 390 wickets and played 173 One Day Internationals (ODIs), in which he took 266 wickets.
5. Ryan Hinds
Former West Indies cricketer Ryan Hinds was accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in late 2012. However, he was released on bail after appearing at the Magistrates Court in Bridgetown, Barbados. According to the report, the bail was conditional as Hinds was to surrender his passport and report to the Holetown police station once per week as other bail conditions. In February 2014, Hinds was cleared of sexual assault charges after the complainant informed the court that she would not be providing evidence.
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