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Cricket needs a little bit of sledging, says Australian Cricketers’ Association president Greg Dyer.
The former Test wicketkeeper says retaining a little bit of sledging is in the best interests of the game despite it being a major issue during the prickly and ill-spirited series between South Africa and Australia.
On Tuesday, the ACA called for a far reaching and comprehensive independent review into the culture of the game in Australia.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week called for an end to sledging, but Dyer, who played six Tests and 23 ODIs for Australia in the 1980s, insisted there was still a place for the practice.
“A degree of sledging I think is great fun and part of the game and important to the character of the game,” Dyer said.
“I had a rule that said never say anything to another player on the field that you would regret, or which would prevent you from going to the other changing room and having a beer after the game.
“That was the line in the sand that I enjoyed and I never did, and frankly I never had anything said to me in response which crossed that line.
“Players don’t seem to have beers after the game these days for physiological reasons, which I think maybe is a bit of a shame and maybe that goes to the culture of the game having changed.
“A little bit of banter, a little bit of sledging is in the best interests of the game frankly, because it preserves that degree of competitiveness.”
Dyer was adamant the culture of the game hadn’t disappeared and the concept regarding its spirit would return
“The game of cricket has been running for 140, 150 years and it will run for another 150 years beyond our lifetime,” Dyer said.
“The spirit of the game will endure throughout that process, regardless of the amount of the commercial value in the sport, in my view.
“A return to those concepts of the spirit of the game is achievable and I’ll go out on a limb and say it will be achieved.”
South African opening batsman Dean Elgar had no issues with Australian verbals through the series.
“It’s only human nature for guys to potentially say words to each other, but that’s fine as long as it’s not personal and it just has a competitive edge, I am OK with that,” Elgar said.
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