It’s time Ponting reigned in his men

 
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By mactheblack, 23 Dec 2009 The Crowd is a Roar Pro

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Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, left, runs-in to congratulate bowler Shane Watson. AP Photo/Gautam Singh

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, left, runs-in to congratulate bowler Shane Watson. AP Photo/Gautam Singh

I am surprised at some section of the media’s reaction to Australia’s Shane Watson (and Sulieman Benn’s) behaviour in their recent Test against the West Indies.

Surprised only because they should know that the Aussies have not really toned down their sledging habits.

I use the expression toned down, because I am not for a game of Test cricket being limited to a five-day exhibition of gentlemanly conduct of the old school variety. Let’s put the needle back into the game, but the players have to act within certain limitations of course.

But to get back to my point, I think Australia had given notice that they would address their behaviour after having to swallow their own medicine in their Test series against India Down Under a few seasons ago.

Then there was the McGrath-Sarwan incident a few years before that in the West Indies, that threatened to spiral out of control.

Of course, Sarwan’s comments against McGrath as reported was a case of a player going too far, but fortunately the two players ‘kissed and made up’ and buried the incident.

Of course, many fans worldwide regard Australia as the undisputed kings of sledging.

Watson’s histrionics can be viewed as a type of sledging – rubbing it in – in an attempt to inflict the maximum hurt on the batsman in question, Chris Gayle.

But that’s cricket, I suppose, a great leveller as they say.

Gayle was the one on top in the first innings, smashing the Aussies to all parts of the ground before surrendering meekly in the second innings for 21.

Maybe Watson should be reminded of that – he could be on the receiving end soon enough of his own type of behaviour.

But the question remains, despite the fact that captain Ricky Ponting has pointed out that team behaviour would be addressed – and it’s not the first time he has – whether the Aussies have actually even made a bid to bury the sledging tag that has been slapped upon them is highly questionable.

Benn is castigated on this forum about his behaviour (‘flannelled fool’), but couldn’t Mitchell Johnson have acted with restraint after Benn had done the right thing, to charge after or follow up the ball, in the incident involving fellow-batsman Brad Haddin?

Obviously this bloke was irked after being reprimanded by one of the batsman for an incident that happens often on a cricket field – a bowler and batsman colliding mid-pitch.

I think the expression used on this forum, against Watson and Benn, could be extended to Haddin and Johnson too. Ponting should do the honourable thing and ‘talk his talk’ and rein in his men if they are wanting to shake off the sledging tag.

Teams like the West Indies, India and even South Africa are giving it back all they’ve got to the ‘kings of the sledge’ – and possibly the actions of Watson, was his way of reminding the opposition that there’s ‘none as vocal as we are’.

If Ponting is indeed managing to control the behaviour of his team, then players like Watson would not be acting the way he did.

Maybe there should also be a reminder that there is nothing better, than countering the intense rivalry that is brought to boiling point through sledging, at times, by doing the job on the field of play – with both bat and ball.

Gayle’s riposte in hammering the hapless Aussies around the park in the first innings, could have been his way of sending out a warning that he’ll let his bat to the talking – and that’s how it should be.

It was only a year ago that South Africa beat the Aussies in a series on home soil, a clear indication that they would not be bullied away from home.

I emphasise that series, because it is part of cricketing folklore that South Africa in the past could not cope with the Aussies’ mind games – and were beaten even before they had taken to the field.

The Warne-Cullinan case, a classic case in point. Warne in fact referred to Cullinan as: “my bunny”.

Unfortunately, it seems that despite the ICC fines and the reprimands, the Chappell-inspired tactic as was alluded on this forum, that was continued on Steve Waugh’s watch, and carried through to Ponting’s era, (sledging) has been borrowed by most of their cricket rivals.

‘We’ll give back as good as we have got’ against the Aussies seems to be the refrain among the other cricketing nations.

Sledging unfortunately has become part of the game – it may not be as intense as before, but the subtle way in which it is done, does not water it down.

Ponting and his men are making a farce of the ICC fines policy, and my guess is that sledging is not going to disappear any time soon.

Maybe it will if Ponting decides to honestly rein in his men, especially given the widely held belief that the art of sledging originated from Down Under.

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