Cricket seems willing and almost needs to find its villain – almost if it is desperate to prove it has matured beyond the ‘gentlemen’s game’ tag.
Justin Langer has spoken about how one slip would bring Australia’s bad-boy reputation back.
It turns out turns out they were only one “dickhead” away.
Tim Paine’s heated exchange with Ravi Ashwin is being held up as evidence how Australia’s culture never truly changed after Cape Town. That is was all just a veneer while the real Aussies, who take pride in mental disintegration, bubbled under the surface.
But if you cast your mind back, Australia never apologised for its behaviour in the past.
They’d mention cricket’s mythical ‘line’, of which they appeared to be the moral arbiters, and how they toed it but never exceeded it.
Never mind threatening to break an opponent’s arm, it was all part of Australia’s ‘hard; brand of cricket. No apology was ever given.
Tim Paine did apologise for his disappointing actions. In a moment of vulnerability, he admitted he’d gone over the line and let himself, his team and their fans down.
This admission is an example of cultural change, but change is never linear. That is why we need to accept that players are, for all their money and fame, human and capable of human error.
Over the better part of two years, Australia has improved.
I say this because the column inches that one incident generated seemed disproportionate to other recent events.
Days earlier, Shane Warne and Andrew Symonds wanted to give Marnus Labuschagne the “hog pile” and Warne wanted someone to tell the No.3 batsmen averaging 60 in Test cricket to “just f–king bat properly”.
Shane Warne (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images for ECB)
Kayo were able to trot out a glib statement that Symonds and Warne, despite sitting in a commentary box with microphones and cameras, weren’t aware that the cameras and microphones were on.
After all, professional talkers shouldn’t be responsible for what they say, that’s preposterous.
However, Paine should always be aware that the stump microphone is on while captaining his country.
Labelling someone a dickhead isn’t acceptable behaviour but it is noticeable that suggesting to “hog pile” someone escapes with a written statement.
If Paine is a role model to the kids who play cricket, what of the commentators of the Big Bash, a product designed for those same kids?
Both sit within the cricket landscape, yet we engage in two mightily different responses.
If we aren’t willing to offer similar responses and the same criticism to offensive language, is our outrage really outrage or just selective indignation?
Cricket apparently needs Australia to be the villain so it can be relevant. It seems the on-field feats cannot hold sway with the general public the way a ‘gotcha’ moment caught on stump mic can.
It’s disconcerting that Australia was one dickhead away from disaster. If that is our main talking point from five days of textbook, tense Test cricket, the problem isn’t really with the players.
It sits with us and how we’d rather talk in broad strokes on etiquette, even after an apology is given, rather than in celebration of one of the best examples of our great game.
Fracktobunt
Roar Rookie
Are you kidding? If you do your research you will find WG Grace and his brother were 2 of the worst sledgers and bad sports of all time.
Andy
Roar Rookie
I think it generated so much negative feedback because Paine is always seen as the nice guy, the one who turned Australian cricket culture good again, and here he was being the complete opposite of that. I don’t think he should have copped so much stick though, obviously he was frustrated and didn’t say anything racist or very abusive. I think Warne and Symonds behaviour was disgraceful, although the former has a habit of doing things like that. It was funny to see them silenced so comprehensively with that century.
JeffJones
Guest
Onwards woken soilder, marching out to war. So booing is Ok? ask Adam Goodes that. I really think you do need a drink yourself. You take things way to seriously. Maybe add a couple of S's to your 'Enforcers' uniforms, so you know they're 'Super Serious' ;) . As is was, similar so called 'Enforcers' worked out so well a couple of years ago. Didn't kill the atmosphere or embarasse the ALF in any way. Also, when the ejected fans from the Sydney Testmatch are found not guilty (and they will be), will you be man enough (or women, to keep with your sensibilities) to say you were wrong? I bet you won't.
Yeshnah
Guest
Better start agreeing with him Ad-o, otherwise Wiz he might get his 'Enforcers' on to you :happy:
Jen Ral
Guest
"Cheering and booing is fine" Except when Adam Goodes is mentioned. And then that line changes again. And you can keep your 'Enforcers', don't need any thought police at games. We've already seen how bad that can turn out at those AFL games a year or so ago, where you only had to give a player a bad look before the 'Enforcers' pounced. The AFL did so many backflips their heads are still spinning. And as with comments like Rob mentioned such as "in the hole". What if these an over sensitive, spoilt Indian player incorrectly inturperates that as "he called me an Ar***Hole" and brings the 'Enforcers' in (almost what like happened in Sydney). So sorry, you can take your totalitarian like rules, and I totataly reject the premise of your argument. And no, I'm not abusing or degrading you, as I could see you might take it that way after reading your posts, just disagreeing (which will probably be illegal one day too if we keep going down your path).
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Allegedly. Tourists being abused allegedly.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I thought his full defence mode was in defence of Smith not Paine.
Ad-O
Guest
Elise Perry is more man than the pearl clutchers on here getting there knickers in a twist cos the bad man said a bad word.
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Cheering and booing is fine, Rob. Abuse is not. Enforcers in the stands will need to be trained to spot the difference. I reckon it's very doable - and won't sterilise the experience the way you fear. The alcohol, though, I reckon that does need to stop.
Rob
Guest
Willow Wiz North Korea might be the best place for your ideas. The Barmy Army will be having a very sad time that’s for sure. Imagine asking them to stop tormenting me with your lyrical nasty chanting. Did you hear the booing of Smith and Warner? You know cheering for the home team and booing the opponent is universal and been going on before the Romans filled the great coliseums. Italian, Spanish, English, South American supporters should all go to games and politely clap I’m guessing. Good job Americans don’t play cricket because they would have the cheer leaders offending opposing teams with the incessant pom-poms and marching band carry on or my personal annoying call “ in the hole”. It’s sport theatre and crowds rock up for the opportunity to cheer and boo. You can’t sterilise the experience to watching a game of chess level IMO and I’m pretty sure abusive behaviour gets called out regularly in Australia at least. SA, India and England might be a level above what you think.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Some people need a villain
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Could be like the sports car and size between the legs. More posts, more words in their post…
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Brayshaw has to make sure he keeps his job
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
It may have been joe the camera nan again. Has anyone checked..
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Whitewashed India 2-0 at home though - something the Baggy Greens haven't come close to doing two back-to-back seasons in a row now. At the risk of sounding pedantic, the Black Caps didn't get annihilated 3-0 (that's basically impossible), they got annihilated 0-3. To quote Tim Paine: merely a "blip on the radar". Still the number one Test team though, so...... :happy:
Tom
Guest
The number one test team that got annihilated 3-0 in Australia last year. Kane Williamson didn't walk in Perth either, the monster.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
Obviously you’re part of the PC world, you don’t have an inkling as to what I said
Rob
Guest
The Haka is a pre-war intimidation ceremony. Basically saying we are plenty strong and I will enjoy eating your flesh after I dismember your body. It not a welcome to our place I hope you enjoy the experience speech. But Paine’s words of encouragement about chasing the runs or 5 intoxicated blokes calling a Shiraz back in the bleacher seats is disgusting behaviour and verbal abuse?
Rob
Guest
Okay I do respect my elders but I find it hard to believe the players in the 70’s were pure as freshly driven snow? Chappell v Botham, Lillee, Thompson v Snow, WI v Tony Grieg’s England. Seriously the players are watched from every angle today and they have a mic a meter from the crease and camera dropping from behind their ear. Chappell also said what a horrible person Bradman could be. Have you seen team mates wrestling over the stumps in the tied test? Young people are influenced by those they idolise so the term sledding started long before the blokes started kicking visiting players or throwing aluminium bats in disgust and having teammates resigning in tears while you put a bet on your opponents. The most crowd abuse I’ve heard was on the hill in the 80’s and that was 10 years after Snow was having a physical altercation with a supporter on the boundary in 71. This is like arguing how tough NRL or VFL was in the 70’s but they were ever so polite and politically correct in the same sentence. The current state of America is lead by a bloke born in 1946 and raised in the 50-60’s. Putin, XI, are all children raised in the polite 50-60’s around the time Mandela was arrested and incarcerated?
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Then we need to fix that as well, Mooty. There's no place for that sort of behaviour at a sporting contest - irrespective of the sport.