'Cricket,' the so called gentlemen's game.Â
The restoration of the English monarchy in the 17th century paved the way for sports like cricket to evolve.Â
The Nobility revered the game of cricket, as it fuelled countless opportunities to gamble - how fitting.
In light of the recent controversial bribery confession of Zimbabwean cricketing idol Brendan Taylor, this was a man who had not been paid in eight months. It's a tragic tale.
The red flag was there, yet Taylor and many before him couldn't resist the lure.
This is Part 1 of some of the most controversial moments in cricket history.
Let's dive into the underbelly of cricket.
3. Rebel Tours to South Africa (1982-1990, number 13)
The rebel tours to South Africa were various unofficial test series held in the rainbow nation during their controversial Apartheid, which racially split the country.
The tours were propaganda for the South African government to keep the game of cricket alive in the country.
Two tours were followed by an English side, two by Australia, two by the West Indies, and one by Sri Lanka.Â
All players from each team were widely condemned by the world, with many cricketers never playing for their country again.Â
The backlashes from the West Indian tours were monumental. Many in the Caribbean saw the continual oppression of people of color in South Africa as vile and tyrannical.Â
Yet the West Indian Captain Lawrence Rowe believed they were helping break down racial barriers by playing alongside the white South African side.Â
The Apartheid was dismantled in the early 1990s, with South Africa playing their first test back on April 7th, 1992, in the West Indies.Â
