The term “sportsman’s spirit” is often used to signify anyone who is being unperturbed and rational at the times of any loss. Let’s say for example in a game of cricket if the team loses, it will be their sportsman’s spirit to accept that lose and move on rather than losing all their temper and motivation. However, superstition like lucky charm or lucky shirts are still very well part and parcel of the sport be it a real life game of cricket or be it a virtual game like fantasy cricket. Everybody wants to be successful and they might be eligible for it too but then there is that little push that they need to keep themselves calm and focused on field. The Australian cricket team say for instance has some of its big players with their cute little beliefs that they according to them helps them on-field. Now as ludicrous as some of them may sound, they are still what they are- a carrier of good luck, a motivator.

Here are some of the mighty Kangaroos with their quirky habits

Steve Smith

It was quite popular fact back in the day, that Steve Smith used to not eat duck the evening before a match. There is no logic behind it and one shouldn’t even try to bring one but just to be on the bright side, Smith’s habit changed after the Lord’s Ashes Test in 2015 when despite accidentally eating duck before the match he still managed to score a double ton.

Duck is not the issue anymore. However, a superstitious mind cannot ever sit idle and the Australia skipper has introduced a new superstition – taping his shoelaces to his socks. This habit started from his debut in the Indian Premier League under the Gujarat Lion’s club. The fact that Smith was successful in that season led to the fixation of this new habit.

Nathan Lyon

Everybody, including Steve Smith has been the witness of Lyon’s peculiar habit of rolling the bails each over before he proceeds to bowl. Smith calls it some kind of a peculiar ritual maybe and stated –

“He rolls the bails every time I think he comes on to bowl or it might even be every over……..I haven’t looked at it that closely, but I’ve seen it a couple of times, he walks up to the stumps and just rolls the bail and I think, what are you doing mate?”

Adam Zampa

This Superstition of Adam Smith is actually unhygienic if not gross; lthough, it certainly disgusted many of his team mates. Australian limited-overs batsman Aaron Finch said that the leg spinner has like a mini towel that he keeps in front of his trousers. As far as Finch has recollected from his memories this piece of cloth has been with him for years, probably for 10 years. Now, Zampa’s teammates are doubtful whether he washes it since towel they said isn’t white anymore. Gross!

Matthew Wade

Wade himself claims, that only the change of socks does the magic for him. In an interview the Australian Test gloveman argued that whenever he feels like he’s struggling to come to form, he would turn to his teammate David Hussey and take a fresh pair of socks from him as the latter has a huge collection of socks.

Joe Burns

We all know carrots are good for our eye-sight but Joe Burns probably took it to a whole new level as he’s consumption of carrots leaped up alarmingly. According to his teammate Usman Khawaja, Joe ate dozens of carrot as a means of improving his eyesight.