should sledging be banned?

[donwasaverage]

Jonathan Agnew argues on the BBC website that it's a "weakness of the game that the sledging that started during the World Series hasn't been drummed out."

I agree with most of what he says but this one is beyond me. Besides being fun to watch sledging provides the players with the means to let it all out in a game that can be extremely tense, frustrating and aggressive.

No harm is generally done because they all know it's just a bit of banter and will usually not overstep the mark.

Modern cricket is far removed from its rather sedate roots and i think sledging is an important part of that progression. Bring it on.

 

[archie mac]

Nothing wrong with it, imho. Some of the best cricket stories have come out of it

 

[Pratters]

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[Autobahn]

Well it would very impractical to enforce it anyway, i mean is an umpire gonna haul a bowler up just for saying "having trouble are we?" when the batsmen swings and misses?

Plus well directed sledging is a perfect acceptable tool in cricket, just look at how tino best was stumped via a bit of banter by flintoff and how Daryll Cullinan, a pretty dangerous batsmen was nullified via warne's banter.

 

[archie mac]

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Tickets please

 

[swede]

Well I am not a huge fan of sledging. Cricket isnt football with players running around shouting things no one listens to anyway.

Its sometimes a cool calculated way of crushing the spirit of the batsman.

What I fail to understand is how can it just be harmless banter if its at the same time an effective psychological weapon as I believe certainly Steve Waugh used to consider it. Forget what he called it.

And also, if its so harmless, why the fury, especially from australians, if anything said in the middle is reported afterwards by the targeted player?

 

[Josh]

Sledging is sledging.

What happens on the field stays on the field.

Enough said.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

As far as I'm concerned, anything goes while out in the middle - except for racism or ***ual remarks. If they give it to you, you are perfectly within your rights to give it back to them. And it all should stay out there in the middle.

What really gets my goat is people referring to it as 'banter'. Like it or not, it's abuse, and you should freely expect to reap whatever you sow.

 

[andyc]

What I fail to understand is how can it just be harmless banter if its at the same time an effective psychological weapon as I believe certainly Steve Waugh used to consider it. Forget what he called it.

Mental disintegration is what you're looking for. And no, it shouldn't be banned. It's just another aspect of the game in my opinion, one that means players have to be tough mentally as well, and confident in their abilities.

 

[swede]

As far as I'm concerned, anything goes while out in the middle - except for racism or ***ual remarks. If they give it to you, you are perfectly within your rights to give it back to them. And it all should stay out there in the middle.

What really gets my goat is people referring to it as 'banter'. Like it or not, it's abuse, and you should freely expect to reap whatever you sow.

surely there is a lot more than just ***ual or racist remarks that are unacceptable.
How about making fun of an ill relative. Of course this also makes "rules" impossible.

I just dont know why a bunch of 35 year old australian veterans will react with fury if its revealed what they say to the 18 year old insecure bangladeshi debutant they surround in the middle.

Also the different cultures that play test cricket makes it diffiuclt to draw the line of what is acceptable but should the most abusive culture decide.

(Of course some of Ponting´s recent bizarre comments seem to suggest that Australia decide what is within the spirit of the game and what is not.)

 

[Langeveldt]

I think they should ban all this ******** that gets talked from the sidelines..

Like "Graham thinks Shane eats too many pies and wants to be captain but Graeme can't play Shane because he is a jarpie who cries too much.. Glenn meanwhile thinks everyone in the world has a weakness against him but missed his vital weakness, which is that he looks like a pigeon with bad hair.. Kevin talks to much and Ricky is a big cry baby"

All the people doing the talking are world class cricketers who can all win games on their own, thats what I don't understand.. It's like watching a boring soap with uncharismatic actors

 

[GotSpin]

No it should't be banned, and good luck if they tired

 

[Tom Halsey]

It's part of the game, get on with it. Shouldn't be banned.

 

[C_C]

Shouldnt be part of the game but some people are too uncouth to take their shortcommings in good stride.

 

[Dasa]

I would prefer there be no sledging and the like, but it's not feasible to ban it.

 

[luckyeddie]

If there was no sledging allowed, there'd be no way of actually being able to determine whether or not Glenn McGrath was mute.

 

[honestbharani]

There should be a bit of banter, but personal abuses, remarks, racist stuff...... these things need to be avoided.

 

[swede]

I think they should ban all this ******** that gets talked from the sidelines..

Like "Graham thinks Shane eats too many pies and wants to be captain but Graeme can't play Shane because he is a jarpie who cries too much.. Glenn meanwhile thinks everyone in the world has a weakness against him but missed his vital weakness, which is that he looks like a pigeon with bad hair.. Kevin talks to much and Ricky is a big cry baby"

All the people doing the talking are world class cricketers who can all win games on their own, thats what I don't understand.. It's like watching a boring soap with uncharismatic actors

very true!

They dont seem to realise how embarrasing it is with their desperate childish attempts to say something really clever in the press.

 

[SJS]

If there was no sledging allowed, there'd be no way of actually being able to determine whether or not Glenn McGrath was mute.

 

[andyc]

Personally, I think it's really funny. I mean, it spawned the classic Eddo Brandes biscuit line, and the Viv Richards 'small, red, however many ounces in your particular version,' the 'Why don't you ask your wife [about how good Lara is in bed]', and who could forget Darren Lehmann's wonderful 'you black ****?'