It's just not cricket

Cricket is an OLD game. Cheating in cricket is probably as old as the game itself.

There is a consensus of expert opinion that cricket may have been invented during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England. The first reference to cricket being played as an adult sport was in 1611, and in the same year, a dictionary defined cricket as a boys’ game. There is also the thought that cricket may have derived from bowls, by the intervention of a batsman trying to stop the ball from reaching its target by hitting it away.

Village cricket had developed by the middle of the 17th century and the first English “county teams” were formed in the second half of the century, as “local experts” from village cricket were employed as the earliest professionals. The first known game in which the teams use county names is in 1709.

History of Cricket

I like cricket. I used to love playing it as a kid. But as a ‘girl’ I was always denied playing in the village game and certainly never allowed to play it secondary school.

It’s such a shame because women used to play the game with men - this is an image of a woman bowling from the C18th. Can you imagine the Bronte sisters having a game on a Sunday afternoon?

Nowadays of course, women DO play cricket- very successfully too. But this isn’t about misogyny in sport, this is about cheating.

My father always told me that Cricket is a game that mirrors the actions of Medieval Knights on a battlefield.

The wickets, with the bails, which are the target of the ball, are the castles. The ‘knights’ defend their castle from incoming missiles from a trebuchet and ‘bat it away’. The bats mimic the castle wall they used to defend themselves with. The ‘attacked knights’ then ‘beseige’ the attacking castle before retreating to their own to regroup. This is a ‘run’. The game is won when the castle is captured and destroyed or when the winning team has the most runs.

I always found this explanation made the game quite exciting.

The Seige of Warwick Castle:

Medieval Chronicles Warwick Castle

But Cricket has always had major problems - misogyny (as discussed earlier), classism, and of course cheating - match fixing, betting scandals and more recently ball tampering.

This is the latest ‘cricket cheating scandal’ - fielders are clicking their fingers to mimic the sound of the ball hitting the bat to confuse the umpire.

Local match goes viral over cheating claim:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c86n10548yeo

Cricket cheating storm as video shows fielder deceiving umpire

The North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League is investigating allegations of cheating after a Saltburn fielder was accused of clicking his fingers to get a caught-behind wicket. A video on social media, which has gone viral, appears to show the fielder click his fingers as the ball passes Norton batter Noman Shabir’s bat before being caught by wicketkeeper Josh Bowes. Shabir is clearly seen protesting to the umpire after being given out and the footage has sparked worldwide coverage of the incident.

‘Clicky pointing’ is ‘the worst case of cheating ever seen’

~ The Sun newspaper

Clicky pointing cheating

MSN link:

Daily Mail video cricket cheating

“This is not the only video and seems to show that this method of cheating has been used many times before.”

What is ‘Clicky Ponting’? How a fielder’s bizarre finger-snapping trick triggered cricket’s trending cheating row

English club cricket prides itself on sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and fierce yet friendly rivalry. However, the traditional values of the sport have been thrown into question following a bizarre controversy that has taken social media by storm.

“Clicky Ponting" in a satirical nod to former Australian captain Ricky Ponting (as per the Guardian.)”

“The Viral Incident at Saltburn
The controversy erupted from a division two fixture between Saltburn Second Eleven and Norton Second Eleven. During the match, a video clip captured a sequence where a delivery was bowled, the batter played a defensive stroke, and the ball was securely gathered by the wicketkeeper, prompting enthusiastic celebrations from the fielding side. While the caught behind appeal was successfully sustained, the batter walked off the pitch visibly bewildered, questioning whether he actually made contact with the ball.

The underlying reality soon came to light when footage posted online by Ben Mummery revealed a fielder stationed near the bat snapping his fingers precisely as the ball passed the willow. The acoustic illusion mimics the sharp, distinct sound of a bat nicking the leather, a trick allegedly designed to deceive the on-field umpire into signaling a caught behind dismissal. Mummery did not mince words regarding the incident, describing it as about the worst case of cheating he has witnessed in the sport. He noted the suspicion surrounding the wicketkeeper’s high dismissal count this season and expressed satisfaction that the footage went viral to expose the tactic, demanding the harshest possible punishment while emphasizing that such behavior goes against the very spirit of the game.

League Investigation and Expanding Allegations
The digital footprint of the scandal expanded rapidly, with the footage accumulating millions of views and prompting online sleuths to examine historical scorecards. The scrutiny widened when Rory Cotterill, who captained Middlesbrough Cricket Club’s Second Eleven during a twenty-nine run defeat against Saltburn earlier in June, highlighted a parallel episode. Cotterill shared video evidence allegedly showing the same individual utilizing finger snapping techniques, drawing severe condemnation from online commentators.

League authorities confirmed they are treating the grievance with utmost gravity. Officials from the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League released a formal statement indicating that they received an official complaint concerning events from the Saturday fixture on July 25, 2026. A comprehensive inquiry has commenced, with league leadership asserting that no further statements will be issued until formal disciplinary procedures conclude. Saltburn secured a commanding 159 run victory in the match and currently sits atop the division two standings by a seventeen point margin, though the club has yet to provide public comments regarding the allegations."

@Saltburncc First slip clicks his fingers to imitate an edge, bat nowhere near it and given out.
This is about the worst case of cheating I’ve ever seen in cricket.
Apparently, their keeper has a huge amount of catches this season.@talkSPORT @bbctms @SkyCricket @TailendersPod pic.twitter.com/iM7lZfKF5q

— Ben Mummery (@ben_mummery) July 27, 2026

India cricket what is clicky pointing all about?