This is more a singular transgression than a widespread plague on the game, but no list of cricketing misdeeds is complete without a reminder of Trevor Chappell's infamous act of sporting treachery.
To recap: It was game three of the five-match ODI series between New Zealand and Australia in 1981. With one ball of the final over remaining, New Zealand required a six to tie the match. To ensure that New Zealand did not get the runs they needed, the Australian captain, Greg Chappell, instructed his bowler (and younger brother), Trevor, to deliver the last ball underarm along the ground to deny New Zealand batsmen Brian McKechnie any chance of hitting a six to tie the match. It was described by Robert Muldoon, the prime minister at the time, as "the most disgusting incident I can recall in the history of cricket". Enough said.
Is it cheating? Weeeelllll, strictly speaking, at the time of Chappell's was not against the rules - mainly because the law makers hadn't even considered such a dastardly act taking place on the cricket field. It has since been outlawed.
3. Chucking
Throwing, or chucking, is an illegal bowling action which occurs when a bowler's elbow extension exceeds 15 degrees. Putting it simply, a throw (according to the rules of the game) is one that comes from the elbow. If the umpire deems that the ball has been thrown, he will call a no ball which means the batsman cannot be given out from that delivery.
In the last two years several players have been reported for dodgy bowling actions and spent time away from the game remodelling their deliveries, including Sri Lanka's Sachithra Senanayake, Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who has been put under scrutiny on many occasions, has a good excuse. He has a slight deformity of his elbow and is unable to straighten his arm. You are allowed to have your arm bent, so long as it then does not straighten. So although it may look like he is bending his limb when bowling, officials have decided, he is not.
Is it cheating?
Yes, unless you are a physiological freak.
4. Ball tampering
Ball tampering is an action in which a fielder illegally alters the condition of the ball to try and interfere with the aerodynamics of the ball.
Over the years cricketers have come up with many weird and wonderful ways to achieve this - there was the "dirt in pocket" affair in 1994, when then England captain Michael Atherton was accused of ball tampering after reaching into his pocket and then rubbing a substance on the ball; then there was the "gnashers" incident, when Shahid Afridi, standing in as the Pakistani captain, received a two T20 international match ban for ball-tampering in a match against Australia in January 2010 after being on camera biting the cricket ball in a bizarre attempt to readjust the seam; and the "spikes" incident when English bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson were called out for rubbing the ball on the ground with their spikes in the third test against Australia in 2010.
There have been other weird and wonderful methods used over the years, such as players putting excess Brylcreem in their hair or vaseline on their forehead to polish up the ball, and even sucking on boiled sweets and rubbing their sugary saliva on the ball.
Is it cheating?
Yes. Under the rules the ball all actions which alter the condition of the ball are illegal. However, Sir Richard Hadlee recently threw a spanner in the works during last month's test series in Australia when he suggested ball tampering should be allowed as the flat pitches across the Tasman skew the matches heavily in the batsmen's favour.
5. Claiming a catch that wasn't
There have been many controversies over the years where players have claimed a catch which replays have shown clearly haven't carried.
Is it cheating?
Yes. You are openly deceiving the umpire by appealing a catch you know you have not caught cleanly. The trouble is fielders do not always know whether they have taken a catch cleanly. Cricketers do not always watch the ball right into their hands. Often a catch is taken through an instinctive reaction rather than a conscious movement of the body.
6. Not walking
One of the noble customs in the "gentlemen's game" is the batsmen's right to self-adjudicate and walk if he knows himself to be out. It's a notion considered central to the ethereal "spirit" of the game, and has led to many controversies over the years when batsmen have refused to walk.
Is it cheating?
Walking is one of cricket's trickiest ethical dilemmas. Nowhere is it written in the laws that a batsman must walk, but it is considered to be against the spirit of the game.
7. Deliberately running across the pitch
Bowlers are occasionally warned by umpires for running across the "protected area" of the pitch in an effort to purposefully damage the area with their spikes, making the conditions more difficult for the batsmen.
Is it cheating?
Yes, a bowler's follow through creates rough patches around the crease which can cause unpredictable bounce and turn and these areas can be exploited by other bowlers.
8. Having a substitute fielder
The use of substitute fielders has come captured headlines of late after Andrew Flintoff claimed his English side cheated during the 2005 Ashes series.
Flintoff confessed to Australian show The Project last night that the side cheated when they used a substitute fielder during the fourth test at Trent Bridge, News.com.au reports.
"Remember in 2005 when you got that guy who was a gun fielder and he ran Ricky Ponting out? That was cheating, wasn't it?" asked co-host Waleed Aly.
"Yeah. Yeah of course it was," said Flintoff.
The substitute Gary Pratt ran out Australian captain Ricky Ponting in the second innings and England went on to win the test by three wickets and then the series 2-1.
The use of substitutes is allowed in case of injury, but teams often use it strategically to give a bowler who has had a particularly long spell a chance to rest ahead of their next stint.
Is it cheating?
Don't listen to Flintoff - this is a man famous for his drunken pedalo expeditions. Who wants to see bowlers break down every game?
9. Deliberately giving up runs to advance a game
Mostly this ploy is used in domestic cricket when rain has washed out large chunks of the match and the two teams attempt to advance the game. It can get quite extreme however, the best case in 1990 when Wellington's Bert Vance was given the ball and conceded 77 runs in one over in which 16 of his first 17 deliveries weren't legitimate. That was to ensure Canterbury would risk chasing the total after giving up following early wickets and almost backfired.
Is it cheating?
Deliberately not trying and giving away runs? Of course that's cheating. But it's to ensure there isn't a boring match so it can be applauded. Still cheating though.
10. Slowing down play
It happens from either the batting or bowling side when things are not going their way and the end of a session or day of a test is approaching. Teams will send the 12th man out to bring three sets of gloves to try on during an over or fielding captains will play with their field settings after each ball.
Is it cheating?
No - You could argue that it's not even against the spirit of the game since it's so widely accepted. It sucks when you are a spectator at the ground though.
