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Aussies win matches but lose friends

krkode

State Captain
David said:
You think the teams are bad? what about some of the crowds out there??
Well, there's really nothing we can do about them. They are not dependant on the ICC or their regional Boards of Cricket for their daily bread nor are the eyes of millions of fans and thousands of reporters on them.
 

Top_Cat

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Sure the Aussies sledge. But so does every other team in the world. They're just smart enough to hide it better whereas the current crop of Aussie players are not.

Its about playing and playing hard.But nowhere does it mean calling another player a "black monkey" or using other expletives.To defend such behaviour is also reprehensible.
And to propagate what effectively amounts to a rumour as the proven truth is just as bad. There was no proof that ever happened. Sure McGrath and Jayasuriya had a bit to say to each other but, if you look at the footage I have at home on video, you'll see that an umpire was well within earshot and there was never a report made.

Sometimes things on the field look worse than what they actually are too. Take the Dravid-Slater incident; fielder claims a catch, catch reversed and hell seems to break loose. Slater appears like he's abusing not just the umpire but Dravid too, yet there was no report made. Why? The footage looked bad yet the umpire, who bore the brunt of what Slater said more than Dravid, didn't see fit to report Slater. Could it be that what he was actually saying wasn't actually that bad? Who knows. Either way, that was weird that he didn't get reported, if what he was saying was so damn bad.

And before anyone jumps on me, yes he did get fined eventually but only after commenting out-of-step on radio a couple of days later. And it was the ACB which fined him for that, not the ICC.

I'm torn on this one. Incidents like the McGrath-Sarwan altercation 'look' bad but they also put the firecrackers into a game. It made the game have that much more hinging on it; not just the result but the pride of the players involved. It made pretty compelling viewing.

I've been sledged mercilessly before and have been able to ignore it. Obviously some people are more sensitive but they are just words in most sledges. That funny red thing that Brett Lee is sending down at you is going to hurt you a heck of a lot more, as it getting out.

And for those who seem to think the WI team of the 70's and 80's merely played hard, well you guys have either never seen them play or have VERY short memories. Anyone remember a firebrand by the name of Patrick Patterson? Curtly was sure prone to abuse a lot of the time and that same team sure bowled a heck of a lot more bouncers than the current Aussie team, which they were criticised for (unjustly, in my opinion). The fact of the matter is that winning and being aggressive towards your opponent in a verbal sense seem to be non mutually exclusive these days. It's the reality of professional cricket and quite frnkly, there'snothing anyone can do to stop it. Bigger fines sure won't help. If you believe they would, well then you'd believe that bigger jail sentences for drug users would help get rid of the drug problems in the world too and if you believe that, you'd believe anything.

Sledging doesn't look good. But I bet if each of you looked deep down inside of yourselves, a lot of you would have to acknowledge that the sledging keeps you watching the game. It's the same part of human nature that makes us watch Jerry Springer:

"Damn I hate that guy with a passion. Let's see what he does to offend me THIS week!"

If sledging were totally eliminated, you'd be eliminating the passion out of the game. Cricket as game which used to be played by English gentlement in village fields would be better but as a spectacle, would be all the poorer.
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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Top_Cat said:
Sledging doesn't look good. But I bet if each of you looked deep down inside of yourselves, a lot of you would have to acknowledge that the sledging keeps you watching the game. It's the same part of human nature that makes us watch Jerry Springer:

"Damn I hate that guy with a passion. Let's see what he does to offend me THIS week!"
I hate that show- Jerry Springer. :P

But I do agree in part with what you are saying. The confrontation between Lara/Waugh/Hayden on Saturday did get me hyped up and glued to the TV.
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
We even used to get it in village cricket years ago.

My only response was "Can you make that noise with your mouth?".

There's sledging and sledging. There's no place in ANY game for the racism and abuse which has been mentioned in this thread. It's not big, it's not clever. Quite the opposite. It reduces the perpetrator to the level of an ignorant lout (actually, with one or two of the 'characters' who have been mentioned, it elevates them to the level of an ignorant lout).

Where do you think Parramatta get their ideas?
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
The way I see it is that "mental disintegration" is perfectly acceptable. It does not bother me in the slightest when I'm batting.

In no way am I defending Lehmann's "black cúnts" outburst as that has absolutely no placed in the civilised world.

However, from what I've seen, the Aussies don't seem to be able to take back what they give out - when other teams get on top of them they crack as often as they pull through (India 01 case of note).

With regards to this comment,
Originally posted by hourn
"Brett Lee soured the Ashes win with bouncers at the tailenders"

BOOOO FRIGGITY HOOOO what a load of crap.
What's your view on bodyline 1932/33?
 

Eclipse

International Debutant
There was nothing wrong with Lee's bowling it was within the spirit of the game.

Having said that I was really ****ed of at him he bowled to many bouncers when one yorker would have done the job.
 

PY

International Coach
It is not in any way shape or form, part of cricket to continue to bounce tailenders that he knows have reduced talent......that's utter ****. People may say that Alex Tudor is a respectable batsmen because of his 99* but he IS a tailender but it didn't stop Brett Lee knocking him out did it? :!(

I think people can un-nerve (don't know if that's good grammar) without getting personal, why don't they criticise how people are playing instead of insulting someone's wife. Why not comment about them being a spawny monkey if they've just played and missed but there's deffo no need for people to make comments about the easiness of a player's wife or something.

I'm of the opinion that the current Australian team do not need to slate as much as much as they do, they are the most talented bunch of cricketers on the planet so why do they need to sledge? If someone edges them through the slips, they are good enough players to respond with another decent ball.

Mefinks Aussies see the issue through rose-tinted glasses to a certain extent, and possibly non-Aussies can see the article's point easier because it ain't as close to home.
 

Rik

Cricketer Of The Year
age_master said:
plfft anyone who takes slefging seriously should not bother playing
Or they play it for fun...which is the whole point of the game...
 

Rik

Cricketer Of The Year
Neil Pickup said:
What's your view on bodyline 1932/33?
Well, judging on his previous comment I guess he thinks it was "just a bit of harmless fun"
 

Rik

Cricketer Of The Year
Eclipse said:
There was nothing wrong with Lee's bowling it was within the spirit of the game.

Having said that I was really ****ed of at him he bowled to many bouncers when one yorker would have done the job.
What game were you watching? He bowled bouncers aimed at the head of a hopeless tailender! That's not tactical bowling, it's not going to get a wicket, it's only going to hurt the batsman. In case you forget Cricket is about runs and wickets, not injuring the opposition.
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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PY said:
why don't they criticise how people are playing instead of insulting someone's wife. Why not comment about them being a spawny monkey if they've just played and missed but there's deffo no need for people to make comments about the easiness of a player's wife or something.
I think it's important to note that those comments are alleged ...

Referring to McGrath's fury, Waugh said: "He [McGrath] probably misinterpreted it. Ramnaresh Sarwan hasn't got a mean bone in his body. He's a great guy. It's a moment all the players regret, we wish it hadn't happened but it did."
 
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Legglancer

State Regular
Personally I feel that the aussies have to be complemented on their incredible cricketing ability and talent. Truely they have singlehandedly taken the game to a new level.

That having been said one has to acknowledge that sadly the aussies have largely contributed to bringing the game to disrepute and shame. Similar to some of the views reflected before I do not feel their is anything wrong with the odd sarcastic comment or a disparaging remark as to a players cricketing ability/style or lack of it as long as its done in MODERATION.

What cannot be tolarated is the Ignorant vulgar/racist comments that bring the game to ridicule.
 

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