10 Biggest cricket fans around the world

The game of cricket has had many admirers around the world. The sport is followed like crazy and has equally mad supporters. The passion for the sport is well established when we see these fans going to the net level to shower love to their favourite player or the nation. These fans have not been restricted by money, boundaries or any personal barriers, they have sacrificed their pleasures to show the fondness they have for the game. You may call them insane but they are equally loved and blessed by fans around the world. Here is a list of 10 most famous superfans of cricketers.

1. Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary
One of the most common sights to be found on the cricket stadiums for matches played by Team India is a lean figure painted in tricolour. The man behind the paint and unlimited spirit of the sport is Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary. The cricket fan was born in a remote village of Bihar. He had developed a fondness for the game at a very early age. A die-hard fan of the master blaster he had started attending cricket matches for 18 years now. The first sight of Sachin had left Sudhir mesmerized and Gautam swore to be present for all matches. This also came true as he has been a regular at all matches played in the country. The guy has had a world cup miniature fixed on top of his head sans 2011 world cup win. After Sachin’s retirement the slogan on his chest reads Miss U Sachin. He has made a custom to visit Tendulkar’s home with 1000 litchis every year and he receives tickets to Indian matches for the entire year. He carries a conch and blows it to announce the arrival of Team India. From sacrificing his personal life by not marrying and quitting his job several times in order to attend the matches to not sleeping the previous night to avoid spoiling the body paint. Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary is undoubtedly the biggest cricket fan ever.

2. Barmy Army

The story of Barmy Army started in 1994-95 Ashes series and to our surprise, the so called army was initially a 3 member group. The 3 had decided to visit Australia for the prestigious Ashes tour. They used to cheer for their home country irrespective of the team’s performance. It is a very astonishing fact that the terminology ‘Barmy Army’ was in fact coined by the rival Australian media. After 25 years, the army is a much bigger force. The army of supporters is now a limited company. The army has its unique way of uplifting the English cricket team with songs, banners and merchandise like t-shirts, etc. The Barmy Army is also respected across their country and there are separate stands dedicated for them in every cricket stadium except the mighty Lord’s.

3. Oli Broom
There is no dearth of superfans when it comes to English cricket. An admirer of the game and a staunch supporter of his team travelled to Australia to attend the most famous rivalry of Test cricket. Oli Broom gathered the courage and with the support of his friends he managed to travel to the land of Kangaroos to witness the Test series. He was successful in his voyage as he did witness a series win for his country. His never-ending journey lasted for more than a year and the cycled all the way with his backpack and a cricket bat. Broom shared his testimony that he had played cricket and enjoyed the journey as well as the result of the game.

4. Larry the Leprechaun

The team of Ireland also has a superfan, the likes of Adrian Raftery. The fandom started in the 2007 World Cup. The event was hosted in the Caribbean and Adrian was very vocal about the support for his country. Ireland did qualify for the tournament but could not do wonders as was expected by the cricket experts. Like every other superfan, Adrian had his unique way of dressing, he used to dawn the costume of Leprechaun. The guy went on to become the highlight of the tournament.

5. Percy Abeysekera

The story of this fan and his country to shine in cricket were synonymous with each other. The Sri Lankan cricket team which was written off by many Cricket Pundits went to win the 1996 World Cup. He was a regular at all matches played by his country irrespective of the venue including all international appearances. The last time the Sri Lankan cheered for his country was in 2004, when Sri Lanka won their first T20 World Cup championship.

6. Chaudhry Abdul Jalil (Chacha Cricket)
Pakistan could not be far behind when it comes to supporters. Chaudhry Abdul Jalil, famously called Chacha Cricket is the superfan of the Pakistan Cricket. Sporting a white beard and full green attire, this superfan can be seen at all cricket matches played by Pakistan. Jalil was originally a truck driver in UAE and started his journey of supporting his motherland during the 1980s in the prestigious Sharjah cup. He, later on, became an official fan sponsored by his PCB. He can still be found waving his national flag for his country in any game played by Pakistan.

7. H Saravanan
One of the biggest MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) fan, H Saravanan is seen painted in yellow with Dhoni’s name and jersey number on his body.

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8. Gravy
The Caribbean supporter of cricket Gravy is an iconic figure. His real name is Labon Kenneth Blackburn Leeweltine Buckonon Benjamin, but the crowd loves him as Gravy. He had been entertaining the fans for 12 years which ended in 2000. His unique style of dance and celebration has been eye catchy and entertaining at the same time.

9. Shoaib Al Bokhari

The only other cricket playing country from the subcontinent has an ardent fan. Shoaib Al Bokhari of Bangladesh is the supporter of his country’s cricket and became a famous cricket supporter. The appearance seems inspired by Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, the Indian superfan. Shoaib paints his body as a tiger representing Bangladesh cricket and waves his national flag to admire his players. He has been a regular to attend all matches played by his country since 2011.

10. Rob Lewis

Rob Lewis planned for Sri Lanka to witness the England Sri Lanka test match in March 2020, however the match was cancelled and it finally occurred in January 2021. He decided to extend his stay and the young man’s determination was awarded. The ground did not allow any spectators, however he managed to witness the live action from Galle fort. He received a lot of media attention after the England skipper called him to thank him for the support.

Anyway, here it is. 10 months of dreaming for this moment. @TheBarmyArmy @englandcricket pic.twitter.com/CeY0P8bMn7

— Rob Lewis (@elitebandwagon) January 14, 2021

England’s lone warrior @elitebandwagon ?? #ENGvSL #ENGvsSL #SLvsENG @TheBarmyArmy @ECB_cricket @root66 pic.twitter.com/dOcZ6UTRar

— Asanka Gunasekara (@asanka82g) January 18, 2021

Five days graft for the lads ?

Ten-month wait for a super fan ?

One very important phone call…@Root66 ? @elitebandwagon pic.twitter.com/fu1ir1hgwg

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 18, 2021