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One of the major narratives coming out of the First Ashes Test in Brisbane was the supposedly ugly end to the game, with English fast bowler Jimmy Anderson and Australian skipper Michael Clarke involved in a couple of heated discussions on the pitch.
At one point, the stump microphone picked up Clarke telling Anderson that he should “get ready for a broken arm” before facing Mitchell Johnson. He may have also added some colourful language just to reinforce the point.
Considering the heat with which Johnson was bowling, it was actually a fairly astute observation from Clarke.
In fact, after witnessing the venom with which Johnson was hurling down missiles, I had just tweeted “Mitchell Johnson is going to kill someone in Perth”, in reference to the fact the WACA pitch is even more accommodating to pace bowling than The Gabba.
So I therefore wholeheartedly agreed that Anderson would have been wise to show caution when facing the fired up left-arm quick.
Yet we all know that what Clarke was really trying to do was get inside Anderson’s head, along with letting him know that it was no tea party out in the middle of the ground.
A few minutes earlier, Clarke had grown frustrated by Joe Root’s time wasting, with some amateur lip reading suggesting that he had ordered England’s number six to “face up”, while labelling him with a nickname of the sexually active kitty-cat persuasion.
Along with George Bailey getting into some lively banter with Anderson while fielding in close, and a few other chirps from the Australians, it ensured that some people thought the Aussies were being bullies and had returned to winning in ugly and boorish fashion.
What absolute garbage.
I honestly can’t believe that some people wanted to focus on this ‘angle’. It suggests that said pundits know nothing about cricket, or are so sensitive that they should be wrapped up in cotton wool and protected from the real world.
It’s ridiculous that anyone had an issue with the Aussies giving Anderson some verbal hand grenades.
The English seamer would be placed extremely high on the list of international cricket’s biggest sledgers. He’s always chirping, always niggling, and always getting in the ear of Australian batsmen.
In fact, in Australia’s first innings, he went dangerously close to crossing the line when he attempted to (literally) get in Michael Clarke’s face. He invaded the Aussie skipper’s personal space while delivering a few choice words that certainly didn’t look like Christmas present suggestions.
Such acts ensure that when Anderson walks to the crease, he comes in for special attention. And so it was no different on Sunday afternoon, as Australia went about making life very uncomfortable for him.
It would appear they did a good job of it too, with Anderson clearly bothered by all the chit-chat the Aussies sent his way. The Lancashire quick certainly gave the impression that he’s comfortable dishing it out, but decidedly less snug in taking it. In some quarters, that’s called being a hypocrite.
Far from Australia being bullies, this was a case of actually standing up to the bully, and giving him some stick back. For too long Australia have allowed both Anderson and the other English players to dominate them, both mentally and physically.
No more.
England are facing a confident team on their home soil. A team emboldened by coach Darren Lehmann’s no-nonsense approach.
A team sick of losing, and particularly angered by their lack of Ashes success of late. A team prepared to fight fire with fire when it comes to Anderson and his cohorts’ verbal assaults.
The victory and the intensity set the tone for the series: Australia will be no pushovers this time around.
In return for giving Anderson some of his own medicine, Michael Clarke has since been fined 20% of his match fee, providing more evidence that the ICC is heavily invested in addressing the big issues in world cricket.
As I remove my tongue from my cheek, I’ll add that the only thing Clarke did wrong was to have the audio of his sledge picked up by the stump mic. I’d bet my mortgage that much worse was said at other times during the game, but simply went undetected.
In my opinion, nothing that was said or done during the Brisbane game was offensive or ugly in any way. Well, apart from England’s batting displays.
It was good, hard, intense cricket, and at times a little bit fiery. If you don’t like that, go watch tiddlywinks.
This is Test Match cricket, not a cuddle convention.