The Baggy Greens’ bully-boy act is wearing thin. Bravado and bluster might have worked in the 1980s and ’90s, but the world has grown up since then. Their cricketers are stuck in a time warp, desperately trying to keep the culture of tough as teak going.
David Warner leads the barking at the top of the order, pledging, vowing to play “in-your-face cricket”, because that’s what the other used to do.
It’s ingrained in the Australian cricket psyche, a sporting culture that respects sledging and ignores anything else.
The ideal Aussie cricketer? Doubtlessly a mixture of Matthew Hayden’s brawn, Merv Hughes’ bluster and Shane Warne’s bravado.
Not a sledger? You’re weak, not fit to play Test cricket. This is a professional sport, a hard game played by hard men. Can’t cop the verbals? Play tiddly-winks instead. They need to be angry. Get under their skin.
Angry, like Mitchell Starc, who took his built-up anger by throwing a blocked shot back at a bemused Mark Craig.
New Zealand haven’t always been saints. Men like Adam Parore, Craig McMillan and Scott Styris enjoyed a verbal battle. Former skipper Stephen Fleming got involved too. But the Black Caps have moved on.
Which is why Brendon McCullum’s brand of cricket is revolutionary, not just in cricket, but professional sport in general. His team go about their business happily, proud that they’ve rediscovered the simple joy about playing sport and representing their country.
Sledging isn’t of benefit. Acknowledging a batsman for scoring a personal milestone isn’t contrived; it’s called sportsmanship.
And New Zealand have been winners at the same time.
No one dared utter anything negative about McCullum’s distinctly different ways as they were marching through the World Cup, or going on a seven-match unbeaten Test series run.
Yet, after a below-par display in the most challenging of local venues, suffering injuries to half their bowling attack, the Black Caps become an easy target for a mocking Australian media.
Yes, a big speed bump.
Former players like Damien Fleming couldn’t comprehend at their style of civilised cricket this week. During the World Cup final, Brad Haddin was so hard-wired into sledging that a smile from Kane Williamson or Martin Guptill almost put him in hospital with shock. Starc famously got friendly fire from Warne himself because he wasn’t scaring batsmen enough with his strut.
Ricky Ponting carried on Steve Waugh’s ‘hard-man’ mantra, as did Michael Clarke. Now Steve Smith is seemingly grabbing this baton too.
It’s okay to play sport for – dare I say it – the enjoyment of it.
McCullum decided that participating in sledging and verbal battles weren’t benefiting his game, or his team. So, after the depths of the South Africa tour in early 2013, he decided to take stock of where his team were at and how they were perceived.
Essentially, he concluded the New Zealanders were a bunch of prima donnas who were overpaid and didn’t perform. So he set about reshaping his team’s identity. They would play hard, win back the respect of the public and be proud of their cricket.
The Black Caps, injured riddled and underdone, dissolved among a whirlwind of Joe Burns and Warner theatrics and a double-Mitchell attack this week. The tourists won’t make excuses, as the better team executed and deserved to win. Australia was much, much better with the bat and ball. New Zealand was poor.
But please, don’t blame the loss on a lack of verbal volleys or metaphorical chest-thumping from the men wearing black. That’s just plain ignorant. These are two teams who play the game in very different ways.
TheDMC
Guest
Um, yes, the iconic NZ cricketer seems to be a corrupt match fixer. Quite correct, as unpalatable as it is. He was one of my cricketing heroes. Not sure why you are calling Joseph a moron or questioning the logic using that example. Only upside is that it seems only one of our iconic cricket players was involved in match fixing, which means its an anomaly rather than an attribute of NZ cricketing greats.
richo
Guest
do you really believe the nonsense you write old chap? you really just want a jolly good time by stiff upper lip tally ho gentlman and whats what then? I prefer my cricketers to compete with as much agression as possible, using whatever means to not only defeat their opponent but to destroy their career, its what makes the game great and gives us the best champions. And its what the game needs to hold on to survive in the future. Your views are snobbish and smack of self congratulatory cultural superiority over the great unwashed.
Rory
Guest
This is ridiculous. Sledging is just words, nothing more, nothing less, and I'm not sure why we have to get so offended by it. Sledging has been a part of cricket since its beginning, and it won't ever go away, which I'm happy about. Growing up playing sport, particularly cricket, we're told that 90% of the game is mental. If your opponent can lose his/her concentration because of a sledge, then excellent. You've won. Sure, playing sports for the enjoyment of the game is great, and encouraged, but when you're playing for your national team, you're playing for one reason, and one reason only. To win.
Huupz
Guest
Its a good laugh flicking through here when it's Nz vs Aussie. It's like being back in primary school again. Heaps of experts and analysts "Kiwis are bad losers, Aussies are bullies aaaah shut up stop complaining all you moaners you don't know, just enjoy the cricket and try not to be mean to each other. anyway I'm off to the waca to see if Kane can come out on top of the intimidating enforcers of the australian team. Go the Black Caps!!!
Huupz
Guest
Each to their own, at the end of the day actions speak louder than words and a lot of these articles are starting to feel like some people just like to moan. The Aussie team has been dominating the Black caps so far and whether or not the teams sledges, smiled or had beers after the match has nothing to do with it. The Aussie top order is on fire and the credit goes to them, we showed a bit of backbone yesterday and it's a good battle going on between our batsmen mainly Williamson and the Aussie bowlers. I reckon we should just focus on the game instead of complaining about how kiwis are bad sports or Aussies are bullies aaaaah who cares.
Sid Nandan
Roar Rookie
You make no sense
Republican
Guest
Clavers, so any disrespect on our part is exclusive, i.e. to say you believe NZ respect us unconditionally? Respect is a big word loaded with nuance. I believe our problem has been not one of disrespect so much but more a paternal ignorance of them. They really do crave our affirming from time to time. Aside to that, respect is a two way thing, while NZ express far more contempt than they do respect for us in my experience.
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Guest
Probably the worst article I've read on the Roar. You do digger and the other reasonable kiwi commentators a great disservice with your sweeping stereotyping and self-righteous smugness. Why would Smith want to attempt to emulate a loser, from a team with a history of match fixing? It might be a tough ask, but it would be even more stupid than it is tough. NZ would be far better placed trying to emulate Australia.
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Guest
5 countries have won the cricket world cup, rugby only 4. Cricket is the bigger game in terms of player numbers, followers, and number of countries to win the world cup. I reckon cricket easily wins. The bigger question is why Aus has overperformed so much in the rugby. From a relative importance, they should be completely useless in the rugby the way the match fixers are in the cricket.
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Guest
And NZ have match fixers. You're argument about number of countries playing might make sense if more countries had won the world cup in Rugby than cricket, but it is the other way around. The entire argument that this article is anything other than unsubstantiated stereotyping and smugness makes me laugh.
Don Freo
Guest
Some of AB's side were good...but even Border himself would agree they were never dominant. Are you sure you don't mean the Mighty BCs? (Bevan Congdon's great side).
Don Freo
Guest
What a strange little quirk that is, Clav.
Clavers
Guest
If there is one national characteristic that causes me the most embarrassment as an Australian, I think it is our tendency to want to disrespect New Zealand.
Fightfair
Guest
Says someone sporting the moniker "Wallaby Thrasher". Hypocrite much?
Wolfcub
Guest
Almost as one sided as the rugby world cup final. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Clavers
Guest
Was Bradman a sledger?
Jerry
Guest
Steven Smith & Mitchell Starc discuss the first test.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VImnpErdDzA
Jerry
Guest
Yeah, but they did it sarcastically.
Hayley
Guest
Maybe you could argue the amount of countries who play each sport. Rugby has way more countries playing it, however in cricket they have a couple of massively populated countries playing it that throw the stats of. Also, the entire argument that rugby is a small sport in Aus makes me laugh. NZ and Aus have around the same amount of professional rugby players whereas Aus has a lot more professional cricketers then NZ.
Basil
Guest
while on this line of thought, the mighty ABs, the most dominant team in the history of the world, are also winners even before they take the field, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11534243