Sreesanth, a former Indian cricket player, was famous for his extravagant celebrations, particularly following significant wickets. After Sreesanth dismissed the Kerala bowler in the semifinal of the first-ever ICC World Twenty20 in Durban on September 22, 2007, Australian opener Matthew Hayden probably has a strong memory of the pacer’s antics.
Hayden’s skilfully constructed 62-run innings came to an end when Sreesant bowled a yorker from around the wicket to uproot the stumps. Excited, Sreesant sprinted to the other end, knelt, and celebrated by slapping the wicket three times. After 18 years, the two-time World Cup champion has now looked back on that special occasion and revealed that the WWE was the reason he decided to throw a celebration after beating the Australian opener.
“Matthew Hayden appears really large. The majority of people are unaware of my motivations. During Cheeky Singles on JioHotstar, Sreesant stated, “He got bowled, and what do you do in WWF (World Wrestling Federation)?” “Three taps and you are out.”
The well-known American wrestling entertainment event World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), originally known as WWF, served as the inspiration for the right-arm pacer’s celebration. In addition to being a fiery bowler from his active days in international cricket, Sreesanth was a fan of WWE, a program with a huge global audience that enthralled him with its scripted wrestling theatrics.
The semi-final match changed course when Sreesant dismissed Hayden. While pursuing India’s score of 188/5, Australia had been in a commanding position at 134/2 in 14.3 overs. Sreesanth took two wickets for 12 runs as India won by 15 runs. His catch of Misbah-ul-Haq at fine leg to take the final wicket and win India’s first T20 World Cup was his most memorable moment.
What has Sreesanth been up to lately?
Sreesanth was a member of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was the first member of the Kerala Ranji to represent the Men in Blue in Twenty20 Internationals. After the 2013 IPL spot-fixing controversy, he was first banned for life, but in August 2019, his sentence was lowered to seven years. He took part in the reality show Bigg Boss in 2018 and placed second. In 2020, he joined the Kerala state squad to resume his cricket career, and in March 2022, he declared his retirement from domestic play. These days, he likes to commentate during games.