BCCI to ask for ban on sledging

[silentstriker]

BCCI to ask for ban


Well, unlike throwing a hissy fit and threatening to go home, this is a legitimate course of action to change a rule.

I was previously in favor of sledging, but now I have to agree that players should shut the hell up and play the game. Especially as usual banter has been replaced by foul mouthed morons with no sense of wit.

[sledger]

guess the writings on the wall for me then, been nice knowing you.

[Goughy]

**** me. Pathetic.

Im someone who doesnt like sledging and doesnt do it now (though I used to) but this is bitch cricket. Call it a cultural difference and you may be right but its pussy cricket IMO.

I mean, a complete ban?!

EDIT- May come across stronger than intended, but its a fair assessment of my feelings.

[SpaceMonkey]

Nothing wrong with sledging, it what makes cricket such a great game. You just have to make sure you dont overstep the mark.

[Manee]

Sledging is all that prevents cricket from sinking back into the upper classes.

[social]

Originally Posted by Goughy

**** me. Pathetic.

Im someone who doesnt like sledging and doesnt do it now (though I used to) but this is bitch cricket. Call it a cultural difference and you may be right but its pussy cricket IMO.

Not to mention unworkable - precedent has already been set where it's only sledging if cameras and mikes pick it up and where victim can be absolutely 100% what was said to him in a foreign language

Wonder what the BCCI's attitude when they take the field without Kumble, Ganguly, Sreesanth, Dhoni etc etc etc

[Richard]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

BCCI to ask for ban


Well, unlike throwing a hissy fit and threatening to go home, this is a legitimate course of action to change a rule.

I was previously in favor of sledging, but now I have to agree that players should shut the hell up and play the game. Especially as usual banter has been replaced by foul mouthed morons with no sense of wit.

Trouble is, either way it's unworkable really, a bit like the chucking thing. You either have an unfair law that's policeable (or not, as the recent furore fairly clearly shows) or a fair law that's near-unpoliceable.

I'm fully in favour of saying anything to opposition players being banned, at least in international cricket, it'd obviously be completely unworkable at lower levels. In any case, I$C$C only need ban it internationally, domestic associations can then ban it if they prefer.

There's, AFAIC, no difference between "c'mon then you £$&@ing stupid @$%£, y'really reckon you're @£$&ing good enough to beat us" and "you useless bastard" and "is Lara good in bed mate?" and "dunno, ask your wife" and "monkey" and even "nigga". All utterly unacceptible IMO. It truly baffles me how anyone can seriously perport the "racism is the only line which should not be crossed" rubbish.

The trouble is, how do you seriously differentiate between this and "aww, close one there Athers, Shane'll have you next time" (which is perfectly fine to, well, probably just about anyone)? Any such differentiation can only be done on common-sense, not something that would be legally workable.

As I said last time this was discussed - I think the best thing which might work would be to ban the use of nouns when speaking directly to, and about, an opposition player.

I don't think the loss of big words between players would hurt the game at all; I think if we got rid of it we'd before long think "ah, isn't this that much better?" exactly as with the loss of overs and bad Umpiring decisions.

[Engle]

Sledging is cowardly, abhorrent, loathsome, aggravating, unsportsmanlike and a form of cheating.
I detested it in my playing days and I detest it now.

There, feel better already.

[Goughy]

Originally Posted by Engle

, unsportsmanlike and a form of cheating.

There, feel better already.

Certainly possibly unsportsmanlike but definately not cheating.

Also on many occasions it is dumb, stupid and embarrassing.

That doesnt mean there should be a blanket ban on chatter though as there is so much that doesnt fall into the above categories.

[BoyBrumby]

Given a working defintion of "sledging" is pretty much impossible and, as has been painfully demonstrated recently ad ****ing nauseam, entirely culturally contingent, a sine die ban is impossible IMHO. Unless, of course, we take the sledgehammer to crack the nut and ban any talking between opposing teams.

Kudos for the "through official channels" approach tho; let's hope it catches on.

[Langeveldt]

Yeah I'm all for this.. The most recent series in Aus was an example of how unfortunately the kids can't play together nicely, so we need to ban sledging all together.. I'd like to see a game of cricket between Australia and India make the headlines rather than the umpires/judges/referees/whoever.. And it might get our Nel concentrating more on his bowling..

[silentstriker]

Originally Posted by Goughy

**** me. Pathetic.

Im someone who doesnt like sledging and doesnt do it now (though I used to) but this is bitch cricket. Call it a cultural difference and you may be right but its pussy cricket IMO.

I mean, a complete ban?!

EDIT- May come across stronger than intended, but its a fair assessment of my feelings.

Nah its worse to call someone's wife a name and expect not to get a stump to the face. If you're going to allow that, then let's legalize fighting in the cricket field ice hockey style.

[Goughy]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

Nah its worse to call someone's wife a name and expect not to get a stump to the face. If you're going to allow that, then let's legalize fighting in the cricket field ice hockey style.

Thats hardly a common occurance is it?

If someone is the overly tempramental, sensitive, emotional and unbalanced type that smacks people in the face (thankfully there are few around) with a stump then I dont think cricket is the game for them or that they are capable of succeeding at a high level.

[Debris]

Will be a sad day if this happens but it seems cricketers today can't seem to see the line between sledging and abuse.

I always thought a sledge was a comment on someone's cricketing skills and this was fine. What we had been hearing lately has been just base personal abuse and not sledging. This is what should be outlawed.

Not sure how easy it is to police this though.

[Goughy]

A blanket ban is just dumb. Firstly in most sports there is verbal interaction between players and it is part of the mind games. Secondly, it would be difficult to enforce and thirdly there is the language issue. Will it only be English that is outlawed? Will cursing and talking in Afrikaans or any other language be permitted? Will umpires have to be multi-lingual or will interpreters be there listening to all the stump mics? There are logistical nightmares. Fourthly and finally, something like sledging is impossible to define with any clarity.

There is no doubt that sledging can go too far and can be overly vulgar and insulting. However, Id far rather it be left upto the Umpires on the field to assess and evaluate the situation and comments. Just like they are left to evaluate Dangerous and unfair bowling
(Bowling of fast short pitched balls).

To me a blanket ban is like a complete ban on bouncers. Left unchecked the situation can be nasty and wrong but outright banning them takes an important part of the mental aspect of the game away.

Like the repetition and danger outlined in the laws for Umpires to interpret for bouncers I would be happy to see a similar framework applied to sledging.

I stand by my orignal sentiments on a full ban. Though Im not opposed to rules being in place to prevent it rampaging unchecked.

The 1964 Justice Potter Stewarts quote over defining what is obscene is relevant here. "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced . . . but I know it when I see it"

Context, intent and content are all important in evaluating what should be outlawed in cricket and umpires on the field are best placed to make that decision.