To hug and to hold

A call to arms on the cricket field

Matthew Hayden wraps a teary Justin Langer in a bear-hug after Australia swept the 2006-07 Ashes © Getty Images

Somewhere among all the aggressive posturing a game of cricket demands - the stare-downs, the fist-waving, the belligerent celebrations - are hidden a few tender moments of love and camaraderie, expressed largely through a gentle squeeze, as in the picture above. Justin Langer ended his Test career at the non-striker's end when Matthew Hayden hit the winning runs to seal a 5-0 victory in the 2007 Ashes in Sydney, the match that also saw the retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. You can bet there was a lot of emotional clutching at each other that day.

Hugs rarely get their moment in the limelight, though they're sprinkled generously through most games - to celebrate hundreds, historic wins, wrenching losses, and sometimes, just because. In the photo below, Virat Kohli and Kevin Pietersen share a moment straight out of a Bollywood movie poster.

Brothers in arms: KP will protect Kohli from the big bad world of cricket Surjeet Yadav / © MB Media/Getty Images

Hugs are not necessarily all that tender - just look at Warne's running leap into Andrew Symonds' arms.

Bear hugs are passe, koala hugs are where it's at © Getty Images

Have a flair for the dramatic? There's always a moment for it on the cricket field. Rubel Hossain channels Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's trademark pose, which also conveniently leaves plenty of room for a quick squeeze.

Trunk call: a team-mate puts the squeeze on Hossain © AFP/Getty Images

The real reason batters wear all that protection? To put as much as possible between them and unwelcome fans on the field.

Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is playing on repeat in the dressing room after Steve Harmison's encounter with a streaker © Getty Images

Sometimes all you need after a big win is a shoulder to cry happy tears on. Sarah Taylor offers her very capable wicketkeeper's arms to Charlotte Edwards after she led England to their third Women's World Cup title, in 2009.

Tears for cheers: Sarah Taylor comes in clutch © Getty Images

Growing up with siblings, love for each other is mostly expressed through wrestling matches and fisticuffs. But it's all forgiven when you get to hand them their ODI cap, as Hardik Pandya did for older brother Krunal.

Love is a three-letter word: Krunal Pandya earns a cap and a cuddle © BCCI

Umpires are the unofficial pack mules of cricket, having to hold on to sweaters, caps, glasses, and sometimes players themselves.

Lean in: Damien Martyn drapes himself on Billy Bowden © Getty Images

You know who never gets hugs on the field irrespective of the outcome of the match? The umpires who've spent all day, or five, standing in it. So they have to do it themselves.

Steve Bucknor gives Billy Bowden a hug before the former's final match as an umpire Hamish Blair / © Getty Images

Sometimes all you need is a warm body to hold, especially on cold photo-call days in the English summer. Marcus Trescothick finds one in his Somerset team-mate.

Trescothick freezes while Michael Burns © Getty Images

Is the spirit of cricket ever more in evidence than when a bowler calls back a batter after running him out at the non-striker's end? Embrace the moment

Ish Sodhi comes back to the crease with arms wide open for Hasan Mehmud © BCB

One-on-one hugs are no good after a World Cup win. An occasion like this demands a full-blown cuddle puddle.

One hug, two hug, three hug, floor © Getty Images

Deepti Unni is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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