Cricket is a game like no other. An aspect of it is the ‘art’ of sledging. Famous Test matches have been won and lost on the back of witty, tactful one-liners delivered at the right time.
The recent Test series between Australia and India however, changed sledging – for the worst.
The Australians attacked the visitors from the get go. The David Warners and Brad Haddins were unleashed, with Indian vice-captain Virat Kohli one of the main targets.
From purely a sporting aspect, these confronting tactics worked to plan with Australia winning the series. But with each close of play, players were asked if they had “crossed the line”.
This series moved the metaphorical line to a risky point in which aggression and a will to win can easily become insulting and racist. The line should come well before that point.
At the MCG last Sunday, in Australia’s ODI against the Indians, Warner was the instigator of a altercation with Indian batsman, Rohit Sharma. The Australian was seen to be blasting Sharma to “speak English!”.
This is not acceptable.
This is a low point for Australian and Indian cricket not reached since ‘Monkeygate’ in 2008 where Harbhajan Singh was eventually banned for three matches for racial abuse directed towards Australia’s Andrew Symonds.
Warner was find half his match fee and forced to admit that he should not have confronted Sharma. That fine would be in the ballpark of $3-6000 according to News Limited’s Robert Craddock, which is negligible considering Warner would earn multiple millions a year as one of cricket’s global superstars.
Warner has been the aggressor in a number of social media conflicts and in June 2013 he got into a drunken brawl that led to him punching English batsman Joe Root in the face.
For me, David Warner’s average of 48 and 15 international 100s mean nothing. He has embarrassed Cricket Australia on the aforementioned occasions and with these latest bigotry sledges he is disgracing the Australian public.
Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe went on record last week saying that Warner is the most juvenile cricketer he has seen on a cricket field and he also labeled his on-field antics as “thuggish”.
A forced apology means little on the first instance, so on this occasion it means effectively nothing.
Warner is a role-model. Regardless of whether or not you think sportspeople should be role-models because while there is a 11-year-old kid in his backyard saying “I want to play like Warner” he is one.
Warner is not the only one crossing humane boundaries but his has no doubt made himself the most prominent.
The answer? Match bans, mid-play dismissals and longer term suspensions. The judges being the umpires, the match referee and the ICC. Players do not want to miss games and teams certainly do not want players missing matches.
Ideally Cricket Australia would show the leadership to suspend Warner “in house” but in the world of high priced sport, the chances of that are slim.
An area Cricket Australia can intervene is with coach Darren Lehmann who has come on record saying that he encourages a fiery brand of cricket and that playing aggressively is the only way the players can perform at their peek. Boof, the name now seems appropriate.
In the meantime, the tightrope will continue to be walked with very serious consequences for cricket, as a game, if a foot is misplaced.
What are your thoughts on the crumbling ‘art’ of sledging? Has David Warner crossed the line?
Follow me on Twitter @dylaneloiarvela
Andrew Jardine
Roar Guru
Sharma was speaking to his fellow batsman in Hindi, not Warner. We South Africans speak Afrikaans on both the cricket and rugby fields so the opposition don't know what we are saying.
Chris
Guest
the number of responses would seem to prove that this is a timely and interested in article
Chris
Guest
your argument is that the guys from the old days have selective memories when they disagree with you but then you say you can believe the guys from the old days when they say what you agree, you do see the problem with that argument right?
Chris
Guest
im sorry but you are actually arguing that because everyone else does it you should be able to aswell? that is so damn juvenile, come on.
Trigger
Guest
Well Brett,if it's the quote you're talking about that Woodfull said ,I dont think that's out of line at all or a sledge in fact he was spot on and needed to stand up and protect the players and call the bodyline for what it was ! I don't call that sledging ,I like that ,it's the truth .
Trigger
Guest
So the fact becomes they are not doing their job jmw ,their penalties have been a joke. Word is that in the upcoming World Cup they will be coming down hard on bad behaviour ,I say about time ,they've been friggin around letting players get away with obnoxious behaviour for too long IMO. Once they tighten things up there will be no more of these threads on sledging and ugly behaviour because there won't be any.
Brett McKay
Expert
It damn near created an international incident, and saw Australia threatening to pull out of the series. Of course it was a sledge, and a very obvious one at that!
Trigger
Guest
I watch the game that's how I know what's going on . And you seriously think I'm the only one . Your view is outnumbered on the Roar and its a sports forum what do you think the general public think of sportspeople behaving like spoilt little brats with potty mouths and overinflated egos ?
Trigger
Guest
That's not a sledge from Woodfull Brett that's speaking the truth . Bodyline was disgusting .
Trigger
Guest
I recommended no books Don
Trigger
Guest
How arrogant of you Don ,members of the invincibles don't have a valid comment on today's game but you have ?!?!? Are you serious ? The point of what Bradman and Morris said is that there was no sledging you would have us all think that it's part of the fabric of the game and we can't go on without it,yet for that 20 years that Bradman played he and others said no sledging . Don't agree that they were trying to remain relevant ,Bradman avoided the limelight ,that comment makes no sense , it was about the falling standards of the game ,probably because he cared about it. Being critical of boorish pathetic behaviour doesn't take away from the fact that great people play test cricket and it's a great game ,it's just saying that this aspect of it needs looking at. Why the defense of bad behaviour ? Why the desperate need to hang onto the abusive stuff? You want to talk about the cricket but close your eyes to the sledge ,sorry while it's happening people will have a comment,and whether you like it or not ," people" don't particularly like some of the stuff coming from their team .
Trigger
Guest
Don ,the games great ,the sledge is not ,you don't get the difference ?
Don Freo
Guest
Of course not. No 90 year old or no dead person has a valid comment on today's game and I am a full bottle on the bitterness of the Bradman/body line series. You don't need other people thoughts. Watch the game and move into today's world. If I don't value the thoughts of Bradman or Morris, what makes you think I'd be interested on reading their thoughts. That was 70 years ago. As Brett McKay points out in a later post, these boys just glamorize their memories in a hope to remain relevant in a world that is no more. Well, Brett just referred to shaping narrative...I extrapolated the thought.
Don Freo
Guest
In your precious little world, it's obvious you...and only you...are "most people". You are in a massive minority. You only have to see how many people turn up to watch cricket in Australia and the high rating TV coverage to realize no one finds anything offensive. I am convinced that the only reason you hold your opinion is that you don't watch the game.
JMW
Guest
Exactly Brett, great post, as always!
JMW
Guest
There's a lot of non-factual opinion in that post Trigger. The umpires, the match referee, CA and the ICC have very adequate powers to censure and intervene. The fact that they choose not to is very suggestive that they are not as concerned with the behaviour witnessed first hand by them. That's my final word on this thread.
Trigger
Guest
That's because it's mainly been the Aussies over an extended period of time ,even Don says the Aussies are the best sledgers. Can't have it both ways ,we are the best sledgers but hey the other guys do it too,it's childish . The other guys have decided to give it back .
Trigger
Guest
Most people think the sledging is ugly and out of hand jmw
Trigger
Guest
You mean let his bat do the talking jmw. As I said before the umpires don't have the power to,or are to wimpy to pull these guys into line. Possibly the bad behaviour has been going on for so long the umpires think it's ok too. And I agree with you handle both the one who reacts and the one who provokes the reaction . David Warner is as i said a symptom of the bigger problem of what is allowed in the team. If his peers said pull your head in Dave ,your a great cricketer leave the BS alone,he would stop ,but I would say he is encouraged to be the attack dog by Boof Lehman and others within the team . Could be stopped in a second if they wanted. Same with all teams. Then it wouldn't get talked about
Trigger
Guest
Most people are sick of the sledging mate its BS