Free extension for sports fans
Advertisement
Advertisement

Test cricket’s biggest scandals – your result revealed

See what BBC Sport readers voted as Test cricket's biggest scandals, together with contributions from the TMS team.

Published: Wednesday, 7 October 2026 at 5:24 AM
Test cricket’s biggest scandals – your result revealed
Key Things to Know
  • BBC Sport readers voted former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje's match-fixing saga as Test cricket's biggest scandal.
  • The 1968 Basil D'Oliveira affair and Australia's 2018 Sandpapergate ball-tampering incident ranked second and third.
  • England's 1932-33 Bodyline tactics and Pakistan's 2010 Lord's spot-fixing scandal rounded out the top five.
The Story in 60 Seconds

BBC Sport readers and a Test Match Special panel ranked the top 10 biggest scandals in Test cricket history, placing Hansie Cronje's match-fixing scandal at number one. The countdown was revealed on the TMS podcast by Jonathan Agnew, Steven Finn, and Andy Zaltzman ahead of Australia's return to South Africa following the 2018 Sandpapergate controversy.

The 1968 Basil D'Oliveira affair and Australia's 2018 Sandpapergate scandal finished second and third, respectively. Other controversies included the 1932-33 Bodyline series, Pakistan's 2010 spot-fixing scandal, Michael Atherton's 1994 dirt-in-the-pocket incident, World Series Cricket, pitch vandalism in 1975, Mike Gatting's 1987 umpire dispute, and the forfeited Oval Test in 2006.

Advertisement

Never Miss a Sports Update

Get the latest sports news and top stories from MySportsTab delivered straight to your inbox.

No spam. Just the latest sports news and updates.