Sport Today

I realise that the issue of sledging has probably been
discussed on many occasions in this NG; but in reading
one of the Sydney Newspapers today..... I thought I might
ask a question from a different angle.

The article quotes Steve Waugh as saying: " I just think it
went too far, It's about time someone said something about
it. You bring your family to the cricket and people are swearing
their heads off. Are you going to come again? It's no good for
the image of cricket or for the people who come and watch
cricket or the players out in the middle. It's become ridiculous. "
 - in response to the verbal abuse that Shane Warne recieved
from the crowd.

Some will no doubt claim that it's no different to the sledging
that quite often takes place out in the middle among players.
It must be said however, that from what I hear, the crowd
got extremely personal in their ridicule of Warne - [ but then
again, it's also fair to say that sledging among players these
days has become much more personal, and is no longer
the 'friendly' clash of words it used to be.]

Personally, I'm rather undecided on this matter....and would
like to hear what anyone else has to say about this issue.

The question is: just where is this heading? - Or will it end at
all?  Steve Waugh is correct in saying that the crowd's sledging
towards players is bad for the image of Cricket - but is it much
worse than the sledging we see among players?

When did the Aussies become the m***upholder of Cricket? Probably,
they complained because the other team could not hear Aussie sledging
over the crowd :-) Steven Waugh saying that it is going too far! The
pot calling ....What a laugh! Ambrose and lara will have something to
say to that!

Neither British nor Aussie,
Mamba

I play league cricket in England in the Midland Club Championship for
Bromsgrove. Last weekend we played Harborne who's overseas player is
one Alvin Kallicharran.

Kalli opened the batting and I opened the bowling although I normally
only play in the second team (this was a 1st XI game).

Kalli went on to make 100 before he was out but during his entire
stay at the crease he constantly slagged me off telling me what a
F***ing shit bowler I was.

By the end of their innings Harborne had scored 205-7 on a postage
stamp ground and we went on to win the game.

I had the last laugh though because out of our 50 overs, I bowled 19
overs and conceded only 38 runs (and got man of the match).

For a guy who was at one time, the best batsman in the world, his
attitude was disgraceful. I will never rate him highly as an
individual again - but he is still a class bat and I can't take that
away from him (guess I couldn't have been that shit after all)

Paul

...

Sreedhar

 I agree with you, Paul. I am very disappointed with Kallicharan.
He has come down in my esteem. I am vehemently against SLEDGING.

Sreedhar

There has always been cricketers  playing, who with wit and humour
can lighten a hot summer afternoon with a well placed and usually humorous
remark.  Invariably this is not directed specifically at a player.  It can
frequently
put the opposition whether a batsman or bowler off rhythm or concentration
for
just that second.  Cricket is meant to be fun and a game and shouldn't be
played in silence.

At the same time some people are con***ly incapable of discerning wit
and shared humour from boorish, insulting and even racist behaviour.  There
is no place for such behaviour on the field.  Directing bad language to
either
a player, an Umpire or the crowd is not acceptable and the Laws provide
that
the Captains are responsible for controlling such behaviour and maintaining
discipline.

You had the last laugh because you did not allow the bad behaviour to
intrude on your game and it just may have contributed to the downfall of
your opposition.

--
Rosebud
             The man who  has no imagination has no wings.
                                                -  Muhammad Ali

adieu

M>R>BUTLER
The inability of life lies in your heart

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/3998

On the other hand, as an Australian I must say I was a little
disappointed with the Australian sides' attitude the the crowd
sledging. Opposition teams visiting Australia are certainly exposed to
a fairamount of comments from the crowd. I think we should have just
put up with it.

Funny how sledging is at it most worst when its at its most accurate.

No doubt Fat Boy will take a swag of wickets next test match and show
off his bowling finger to the English supporters again.

Craig.

Steve

Well, personally I don't like calculated sledging between players, but it
doesn't overly bother me. The differnece between that, and crowd taunts is
The Right of Reply, which clearly a player does not have, lest he be
crucified for being a bad role model, sporting thug yadda, yadda, yadda

Tim

Actually the amount of sledging which goes on in International cricket
is far less than urban myth would have us believe.  Umpires work with
captains to keep this under control.  There is often good natured banter
between players of both teams because most elite sportsmen tend to
be quite sociable.  When stronger cricket is being played, captains
like to keep a lid on too much on field sledging because it can upset
the concentration of the sledger as effectively as the sledgee and achieve
a negative result.  

This makes the unruly soccer-like behaviour of crowds even less attractive.
More importantly, I would not like to single out the English crowds in this
regard since I have seen some equally unattractive behaviour at the SCG
and the MCG here in Australia and also there have been some pretty
ugly crowd incidents televised from South Africa.  Oddly, aside from some
of the more famous rioting incidents, the crowd behaviour we get televised
from the Windies seems to be of the comical and clowning style.

--
Rosebud
             The man who  has no imagination has no wings.
                                                -  Muhammad Ali

[big snip]

1) I would agree that there is a co0nceptual difference between sledging
from a player and from a crowd, especially as there may well be those in
the crowd that such remarks may be unfir for.

2) Shane warne is a horses arse if he thinks he's gonna get any sympathy
over complaints regarding sledging.

Didds.

  Steve Waugh is correct in saying that the crowd's sledging

I am hoping that cheating,for example,wicketcheating be eventually
recognised as such and that incidences such as the stumping of a batsman
without a ball be recognized for what it is and not glorified as it has
been by certain members of this newsgroup. Re.Brian Lara out Stumped by
Ian Healy without ball(video shows it all).

http://members.tripod.com/~L_Small/barbados.htm

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I found the Diary under a tree
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This must be the ultimate irony, to hear Australian players complaining
about crowd abuse.

Australia is the world capital of boorish crowd behaviour.  When the Sri
Lankans were there a
couple of years ago they were subjected to appalling treatment by crowds in
Sydney and
Melbourne.  It is also sadly true that they experienced racist sledging
from Australian players
including some current test players  to a degree they have never
experienced anywhere else
before or since (quote A de Silva).

Australia and especially Fat Boy, just need to let their cricket do the
talking.  Warne has been magnificent
in current tour and he is the difference between the teams.  in Englands
first innings at Trent bridge
this was glaringly obvious.  The English batsmen had no problems with
McGrath or Gillespie and
would probably have lost only one or two wickets by stumps.  Warne however
bowled brilliantly and
made the decisive difference between the teams.

Tom Faht