Bapu Rao Swami
U19 12th Man
We all heard what Sunny Gavaskar had to say, and many including me agree with him. Gavaskar was very fair in his lecture citing Australia for being the biggest sledgers in the game but NOT the only sledgers.
Sledging has different meanings in different cricketing nations, in Pakistan its origins are linked to the streets like Lahori street smartness by Akram, in India its regarded as against the rules and morals of the game, in England I reckon its more of hear it from one ear and throw from the other, in South Africa its practised only when the going gets tough eg. the F word sighed by Kallis so very often whne things don't go his way, in Australia I hear its a natural thing(no pun intended) maybe its the Aussie way, in West Indies its regarded as it is in England, in Lanka its regarded as racism.
My take on Sledging...
Take Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who had a big dummy spit to Aussie counterpart Ricky Ponting during the second ODI final of the VB series, when the India were in the process of being flogged by 208, at the SCG.
Sledging has been outlawed by both the ICC and Cricket Australia, but both organisations had missed the point.
Ganguly was batting at the time, when he complained about Aussie paceman Brad Williams as the alleged culprit – and it’s not the first time this hot-headed Aussie has teed off, and he had only been in the big-time for “five minutes.”
There’s a big difference between sledging – and being a loud-mouth who thinks he’s better than he really is, trying to prove he’s “big and tough” in the toughest arena cricket can offer.
Tyro Indian paceman Irfan Pathan was even worse, he had been in the big-time for just “two minutes.” Trying to humiliate Damien Marytn on his dismissal by clapping his hands in the Aussie’s face, and just smirking at him from close range, earned this “wannabe” an official reprimand from referee Clive Lloyd, for bringing the game into disrepute.
That’s where the ICC had missed the point, Williams and Pathan deserve to come under the “behave” category, they were over the top, but shrewd sledging has been part of sport since the dim, dark ages.
Two stand out examples;
Aussie keeper Ian Healy got right up Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga’s nose while he was batting in a 1996 ODI final, at the SCG. What “Heals” said can’t be repeated here, but it was so effective Ranatunga almost exploded, then imploded, shouting and waving his arms all over the shop. But he sure didn’t last long in the middle – and the Aussies won by just nine runs, because Ranatunga did his loll.
The most telling sledge was Steve Waugh to Hershelle Gibbs when the South African dropped a sitter off Steve, on 56. The skipper went on to crack a brilliant, unbeaten 120 in a 1999 World Cup group game the Aussies had to win – they did, with just two balls to go.
“You’ve just dropped the World Cup” was Steve’s immediate sledge. Hershelle wasn’t worth a stamp after that, he was a shattered man. The Aussies went onto win the semi next game on averages, also against South Africa with a 213 tie, and the World Cup, after being dead in the water, until the dropped catch.
Let’s face it, sledging is an art, and providing it’s not in any way racist, which is totally unacceptable under all circumstances, there’s a place in sport for some well-chosen words to rattle the opposition – it’s all part of being competitive.
For those who reckon sledging is too hot, get out of the kitchen.
For administrators who want their sport to be so squeaky clean, so pristine, so boring, they must believe in Santa Claus, and the tooth-fairy, if they want to wipe out sledging – it’s not the real world.
There’s no more telling a venue than a court room, where barristers are past-masters at sledging by needling a witness, looking for a weak point. And if they go too far, they simply withdraw the question - but in the minds of the jurors the question is still there, even if the judge warns them to ignore it. That’s human nature.
Where cricket administrators are on the right track is keeping the likes of Brad Williams and Irfan Pathan in check – there’s no place for those who treat their opposition, with contempt.
But sledging will always be on the agenda, admin or not. There are two umpires, and two captains, who should be the sole arbitrators as to how far sledging should go – not make a hard, fast law from off the field.
And sledging will still be there in the 26th century – so let’s get on with the game.
Sledging has different meanings in different cricketing nations, in Pakistan its origins are linked to the streets like Lahori street smartness by Akram, in India its regarded as against the rules and morals of the game, in England I reckon its more of hear it from one ear and throw from the other, in South Africa its practised only when the going gets tough eg. the F word sighed by Kallis so very often whne things don't go his way, in Australia I hear its a natural thing(no pun intended) maybe its the Aussie way, in West Indies its regarded as it is in England, in Lanka its regarded as racism.
My take on Sledging...
Take Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who had a big dummy spit to Aussie counterpart Ricky Ponting during the second ODI final of the VB series, when the India were in the process of being flogged by 208, at the SCG.
Sledging has been outlawed by both the ICC and Cricket Australia, but both organisations had missed the point.
Ganguly was batting at the time, when he complained about Aussie paceman Brad Williams as the alleged culprit – and it’s not the first time this hot-headed Aussie has teed off, and he had only been in the big-time for “five minutes.”
There’s a big difference between sledging – and being a loud-mouth who thinks he’s better than he really is, trying to prove he’s “big and tough” in the toughest arena cricket can offer.
Tyro Indian paceman Irfan Pathan was even worse, he had been in the big-time for just “two minutes.” Trying to humiliate Damien Marytn on his dismissal by clapping his hands in the Aussie’s face, and just smirking at him from close range, earned this “wannabe” an official reprimand from referee Clive Lloyd, for bringing the game into disrepute.
That’s where the ICC had missed the point, Williams and Pathan deserve to come under the “behave” category, they were over the top, but shrewd sledging has been part of sport since the dim, dark ages.
Two stand out examples;
Aussie keeper Ian Healy got right up Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga’s nose while he was batting in a 1996 ODI final, at the SCG. What “Heals” said can’t be repeated here, but it was so effective Ranatunga almost exploded, then imploded, shouting and waving his arms all over the shop. But he sure didn’t last long in the middle – and the Aussies won by just nine runs, because Ranatunga did his loll.
The most telling sledge was Steve Waugh to Hershelle Gibbs when the South African dropped a sitter off Steve, on 56. The skipper went on to crack a brilliant, unbeaten 120 in a 1999 World Cup group game the Aussies had to win – they did, with just two balls to go.
“You’ve just dropped the World Cup” was Steve’s immediate sledge. Hershelle wasn’t worth a stamp after that, he was a shattered man. The Aussies went onto win the semi next game on averages, also against South Africa with a 213 tie, and the World Cup, after being dead in the water, until the dropped catch.
Let’s face it, sledging is an art, and providing it’s not in any way racist, which is totally unacceptable under all circumstances, there’s a place in sport for some well-chosen words to rattle the opposition – it’s all part of being competitive.
For those who reckon sledging is too hot, get out of the kitchen.
For administrators who want their sport to be so squeaky clean, so pristine, so boring, they must believe in Santa Claus, and the tooth-fairy, if they want to wipe out sledging – it’s not the real world.
There’s no more telling a venue than a court room, where barristers are past-masters at sledging by needling a witness, looking for a weak point. And if they go too far, they simply withdraw the question - but in the minds of the jurors the question is still there, even if the judge warns them to ignore it. That’s human nature.
Where cricket administrators are on the right track is keeping the likes of Brad Williams and Irfan Pathan in check – there’s no place for those who treat their opposition, with contempt.
But sledging will always be on the agenda, admin or not. There are two umpires, and two captains, who should be the sole arbitrators as to how far sledging should go – not make a hard, fast law from off the field.
And sledging will still be there in the 26th century – so let’s get on with the game.
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