This summer, I’d like some quiet cricket. The crowds can yell to their hearts’ content, and bowlers can appeal like maniacs, but other than that, keep it down.
First things first: some sledges over the years have been clever and very creative. However, the majority of on-field chatter appears to be pointless personal attacks that unfortunately seem to come with the territory in modern cricket.
There is nothing wrong with a ferocious battle between two foes. A tense contest is always more exciting than a thrashing or a high-scoring draw, after all.
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That said, is it too much to ask the Australian team to let their performances on the field speak for themselves?
One of the most embarrassing sights on the cricket field in recent years, aside from watching us try to play spinners, has to be the non-stop nattering of players like Shane Watson.
It’s always the same. Take a wicket? Blah blah blah. Get hit for six? Blah blah blah. One wonders if the opposition laugh at the way players like Watson conduct themselves.
If Michael Clarke was serious when invoking the spirit of cricket in eulogy for the late Phillip Hughes, let’s see this in action out on the field.
No more threatening opposition players with bodily harm to be dished out by fast bowlers, like a school boy hiding behind his older brother. You don’t have to like every opponent, but at least show them respect.
Instead of this buffoonery, let on-field noise be about encouraging teammates and appealing to the umpire. If we want to shake the ‘ugly Australians’ tag once and for all, start with focusing on practicing the spirit of cricket.
This can be done in a number of ways. Continue to congratulate opponents when they reach batting milestones. Pat your bowlers on the back in the middle of a spell.
Furthermore, walk if you know you edged a ball, as the great Adam Gilchrist did. Focus on setting example for young players, here and abroad. Try to remember that at the end of the day, it’s just a game.
These things happen fairly often already, but we can do better. A healthy team culture is demonstrated by how players behave when competing, regardless of the outcome. Being a gracious winner is as important as maintaining composure and dignity in defeat.
From all accounts, Phillip Hughes was a shy and humble man with an outstanding work ethic and a great attitude. If the Australian team want to honour his memory this season and beyond, do so in actions, not on-screen tributes and hashtags.
The greatest respect players can show to Hughes’ legacy is to behave with the class and character he demonstrated on and off the field. Accept the umpire’s decision. Don’t talk back if an opponent is giving you lip. Play with a smile and focus on constantly improving yourself.
Above all, just enjoy the game. That is perhaps the most important element of embracing the true spirit of cricket.
JC
Guest
Glass of cement is needed
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Fair enough, Bill. Thanks for clarifying.
Bill
Guest
The lack of emotional backbone comment wasn't meant for you - it was more a whinge about people whinging. If I had taken the time to make my opinion clearer the point I would have made was that I think there is way too much complaining about sledging, especially with people saying it should not be part of the game.
Larney
Guest
Exactly Mitch. Unless you are out in the middle you don't see what is happening out there to spark some reactions.
Deets
Guest
Craig Watson: so Australia get to set the moral high ground on what's right and what's wrong?? Applauding opposition players is not a thing too many modern teams do, not even Australia so much. However there's no doubt that Australia started the whole sledging thing and made it into a tactic under Steve Waugh. In my opinion that's a much worse thing than not applauding an opposition player, but we let it happen in cricket. It's childish, nasty and totally against the spirit of the game. Trash talk is a thing in a lot of sports, and I'm not totally against it. But for some reason cricketers like to make it tactical and often push the limits on personal abuse and threats of violence. If you were out in a bar somewhere and threatened to break someone's arm like Michael Clarke did to Jimmy Anderson last year, you'd get punched in the face. Yet for some reason what you can't do in a bar is acceptable on a cricket field. So please, Aussie fans, stop with the holier-than-thou attitude about "playing the game the Australian way" or "playing the game the right way". Your best teams have also been the worst-behaved, accept it.
Mitch
Guest
These players are not local park cricketers out on a Saturday to have a good time. They are paid hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars to do one thing. Win games of cricket. They will do anything to gain an edge because thats what they are paid to do. I have no problem with niggle as long as it is neither racist or personal. We don't hear the majority of what goes on in the field, so how to you know that a "send off" or a sledge is not called for.
Silver Sovereign
Roar Rookie
Most sports have some sort of sledging or trash talk. It adds colour to the game and is often quite funny. Better than the robots some in the media and in the stands seem to want. A lot of cricket's great moments involved sledging of some kind. When you have careers, prestige, a lot of money and your country's pride at stake, people are going to try get whatever edge they can over an opposition. That's the plain truth of it.
13th Man
Guest
There has to be a balance. I am all for sledging, as long as its not personal. I feel it is an important aspect of the game that can put off a batsman. I also find that most of it is quite amusing. However when people start to get personal and verbally attack another player I feel it probably goes to far. However I am sure some people will point out that I avidly defended Michael Clarke's broken arm sledge, this is because James Anderson threatened he would punch George Bailey and I would expect a good skipper to defend there teammate. My opinion is if you give it you have gotta take it, and Anderson gave it so he deserved something back.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
I'm not against displays of emotion or personality by any means, and I don't believe I indicated anything of the kind in my article. My main point was that I'd rather see a player like Watson walk back to the top of his mark, run in hard and take a wicket with the next delivery, rather than stand there and rant at the batsman.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Pretty big leap there, Bill. I don't see how finding the non-stop chatter of players like Watson tedious somehow means one lacks 'emotional backbone'.
Bill
Guest
Besides complaining about sledging, the other option is to have some emotional backbone and realise that its only words. If someone can not handle a bit of that how are they supposed to handle real problems that life can dish out.
kevin
Guest
Sledging an opponent who just hit you for four is neither smart nor productive, Blake. Few of us want to see Australian players grizzle. We'd rather see them shut up until they can deliver.
Blake Standfield
Roar Guru
What's it to you if they want to sledge each other. We don't hear it, it's not directed at us and apart from racial slurs I've never heard a cricketer complain about it. Cricket can be pretty sterile at times especially with so many monotonous one dayers and T20's that follow the same pattern. I'm all for any display of personality and emotion that makes things more interesting.
Joel
Roar Rookie
If Watson was a fast bowler that gets pumped up on adrenaline and screams in to bowl 150km+, you might be a little more forgiving. The fact he sprints in with all the agility of a baby elephant and delivers cute little mediums just makes him look stupid.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Hi Ronan, Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. You raise a valid point regarding that sentence from article, which does contain an assumption. That said, while your experience of listening in to chatter in more detail than normal is enlightening, the main point of my article was my personal preference for players like Watson to take a 'less talk, more action' approach to their cricket. Again, I don't know what he says a lot of the time, but chattering away after every deliver always strikes me as unnecessary, and not the best example to be setting for kids.
Daws
Guest
i think yelling "f***king know to leave it" when Du plessis picked up the ball is more than just a jibe. i know that mouthing off happens in the game of cricket, but explain to me why it makes sense for a bowler to be banned for months at a time simply because his arm is slightly bent at an angle when bowling while a captain only gets a slap on the wrist for threatening to break a man's arm. okay that might not be the best example but my point is, if cricket is going to pretend at being a gentleman's game and having spirit of cricket, it should act like it. that kind of backchat doesn't happen in stuff like tennis, why should it be permitted on a cricket field. We yell and whinge and scream about breaking the spirit of cricket when a batsman refuses to walk (like Broad) yet yelling at someone to "Fu** off" is somehow considered acceptable. i don't consider sledging as mental disintegration, i consider it a pathetic excuse for people to mouth off with profane personal abuse at opposition players
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Me too. Surely taking the wicket is enough?
Pom in Oz
Roar Guru
My pet hate is the "send off"...cue Watto... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9n678NObUw
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"The majority of on-field chatter appears to be pointless personal attacks." That is an assumption Daniel as in most matches do not hear 99% of what is said on the field. In some series, the stumps mics are turned up a lot higher, as they were during Australia's Test tour of SA, and we can hear a lot more. I watched that series listening through high-quality headphones which allowed me to pick up way more of the chatter than I'd heard previously. In fact, the majority of the chat was in no way "personal" or an "attack" it was just jibes and attempts to distract people from their game. There was a lot of, "Oooh Mitch he's playing away from the body there. Geez that is a loose shot. He knows he's under pressure here, he can't afford to fail again. Not sure he can handle it". That kind of talk is perfectly fine and is part of the mental challenge of being a batsman in long form cricket - maintaining concentration and trusting your technique.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Not defending the Indian team at all. Would be good if all teams in world cricket improved their on-field conduct. Warner certainly backs up his talk with performances, unlike Watson most of the time.