Prolific sledger and England tailender Jimmy Anderson can dish it out so it’s only fair he has to cop it, Aussie quick Peter Siddle says.
“Throughout the series there will be more of it going on but it will be under control,” Siddle told Radio Sports National on Tuesday as the fallout from Australia’s 381-run win in the Brisbane Test continued.
“Anderson brought it on himself. So fair’s fair.
“There was a lot of other stuff going on and James Anderson was in the thick of it and a culprit for it all happening.
“He is one of the leading wicket-takers in the world so he is happy to have a chirp but as long as Mitchell Johnson keeps bowling them around his ears that will quieten him up pretty quickly.”
Coach Andy Flower’s England squad will train in Alice Springs on Thursday on the eve of their two-day game against a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI.
Flower says he’ll consider meeting with Australian counterpart Darren Lehmann in a bid to set some sledging ground rules ahead of the second Test in Adelaide on December 5.
Flower said the right balance needed to be found with banter after details emerged of the vicious on-field exchange involving Anderson, George Bailey and Michael Clarke.
It’s been alleged No.11 batsman Anderson escalated that situation by threatening to punch Bailey in the face, prompting Clarke to respond with his, “get ready for a broken f***ing arm” comment which was picked up by a stump microphone and broadcast.
Clarke was fined 20 per cent of his match fee.
Adding to the tension, Flower has slammed David Warner as disrespectful and ignorant. The Australia batsman told a news conference Jonathon Trott’s dismissals were weak and said the Poms had scared eyes.
It would be inaccurate however to link Warner’s remarks with Trott’s return to England with a stress-related illness, Flower says.
However Flower doesn’t want Trott’s sensitive departure to become a topic of conversation on the pitch in Adelaide.
“Now you have brought it up (talking to Lehmann), I’ll have a think about it,” Flower told the British press.
“A balance has got to be found on the pitch between competitiveness and not overstepping the line.”
TV commentator David Lloyd has said some of the first-Test sledging he heard over a stump microphone, which didn’t go to air, had gone too far.
Flower said both sides must behave appropriately.
“That (Clarke sledge) situation has been dealt with by the ICC so I don’t really need to go into it,” Flower said.
Asked should Warner be punished, Flower said: “We set our own standards and the Australians must set theirs.”
Siddle said Clarke’s sledge was a natural part of on-field exchanges in Tests.
“The most disappointing thing is that it actually came up (on the broadcast). It’s not meant to at that time and it is very stiff for Michael,” Siddle said.
Test great Ian Healy has blamed umpires Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena, calling them insipid.
“I like an aggressive spirit but if it gets too personal and too violent in its intentions it needs to be looked at,” Healy said.
“Umpires are fairly insipid and don’t take on their responsibilities anywhere near enough.”
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