Sledging

[Donny]

Sledging has been a hot topic lately.

What are your thoughts on this practice ?

I submit the following, from the Laws of Cricket, as a guide re. what is acceptable and who has responsibility for players actions.
---------------------------------------------

The Preamble, The Spirit of Cricket

Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains.

1. There are two Laws which place the responsibility for the team's conduct firmly on the captain.

Responsibility of captains

The captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the Spirit of the Game as well as within the Laws.

Player's conduct

In the event of a player failing to comply with instructions by an umpire, or criticising by word or action the decisions of an umpire, or showing dissent, or generally behaving in a manner which might bring the game into disrepute, the umpire concerned shall in the first place report the matter to the other umpire and to the player's captain, and instruct the latter to take action.

2. Fair and unfair play

According to the Laws the umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play.

The umpires may intervene at any time and it is the responsibility of the captain to take action where required.

3. The umpires are authorised to intervene in cases of:

Time wasting
Damaging the pitch
Dangerous or unfair bowling
Tampering with the ball
Any other action that they consider to be unfair

4. The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:

Your opponents
Your own captain and team
The role of the umpires
The game's traditional values

5. It is against the Spirit of the Game:

To dispute an umpire's decision by word, action or gesture
To direct abusive language towards an opponent or umpire
To indulge in cheating or any sharp practice, for instance:
a) to appeal knowing that the batsman is not out
b) to advance towards an umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing
c) to seek to distract an opponent either verbally or by harassment with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of enthusiasm and motivation of one's own side

6. Violence

There is no place for any act of violence on the field of play.

7. Players

Captains and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a cricket match. Every player is expected to make an important contribution to this.

[JLC]

True it is the captains duty to keep his players under control and set the standards. However a good umpire generally nips things in the bud beofre the escalate further into more heated situations.

Most of those rules get broekn every game.....lol

jlc

[Fradam]

Sledging I think is a part of the game and I don't have an issue with it. As long as it isn't racial or sexual etc.

Sledging works sometimes. In one game this year I was giving it to a batsman coz he had no intention of scoring yet he'd have practice swings after the ball was gone. Next ball he played a shot, hit it straight to the fielder and ran himself out.

You need something to talk about between balls.

[couragous cloke]

just wondering, who hear, who does play cricket, actually sledges? i sure do, im sittin there in gully or first slip yackin my head off.

[The Prototype]

Cricket and the AFL have onething in common and that is the fact that the players sledge. It's apart of the game, as long as it doesn't get to be at a personal level then it should be okay. An example would be, when Warne was on The Footy Show and said he would use the Carey/Stevens thing against his opponent there's no room for any comment along them lines. As long as it stays clean, then I haven't a problem with it.

[Donny]

I have a couple of very clever sledgers in my team so I don't bother much but sometimes I have to tell them to can it because some batsmen thrive on it.

It was so funny, during one game, when one of these batsmen came out to bat. There was absolute silence. Not a word. He didn't last long.

As a batsmen, I love being sledged. It really focusses me. If they don't say anything early, I start sledging them. Funnily enough, praising the bowler is a sort of reverse sledging which also seems to work. Lol.

[couragous cloke]

lol, yeah i know what you mean when it comes to praising the bolwer, i do it all the time, im the same as ya donny, i luv getting sledged, probebly makes me bat better, and i love to have a bit of a chat out in the middle aswell.

[HAL]

Im glad you find it so hilarious. Okay. . . . . . How do you know? couragous cloke, Maybe I didn't understand your meaning. That sounds like fun. . .

[collingwood_revhead]

I always thought cricket and sledging go hand in hand. I know some very good sledgers in my local comp.

The great Viv Richards reply to a pommy bowler (i think) when he played and missed a few times. The bowler said, "It's the red and round thing, mate" with a chuckle ... Next ball Viv smashes it out of the ground and replied, "You know what it looks like you go find the f***in' thing.!"

Not a bad one but you gotta know when to and when not to.

[Donny]

Lol. That's a classic, revhead. Welcome to the cricket forum.

[HAL]

Im glad your having such a fun time.

[Donny]

'We play hard and fair': Waugh
Wisden Cricinfo staff - August 18, 2003


A fortnight after Sunil Gavaskar had a little dig at the Australians during his Spirit of Cricket address at Lord's, Steve Waugh reckoned that television had made too much of too little.

Delivering a talk on "Leading a winning team" in Bangalore, he said, "There is far too much talk of sledging. These days, cricket is played in the right spirit, though occasionally things do go wrong. And when they do go wrong, you have 20 or 30 [television] replays and people come to talk about it."

Waugh was of the opinion that sledging was often misinterpreted, with the critics, more often than not, placing too much faith on conjecture. "My definition of sledging is when someone has been giving personal views in a one-on-one situation, or a group of individuals against one person," he said.

Waugh then perplexed some in the audience when he said that the Australians didn't indulge in sledging. "Occasionally there are things said on the cricket field, and we have examples of it during the last six to 12 months," he said. "I am very aware that we do not want that to happen in my side as we play the game hard and fair," he added, in an oblique reference to the Glenn McGrath-Ramnaresh Sarwan incident which so tarnished Australia's 3-1 series win in the West Indies.

Waugh also spoke about the strength of character and magnificent team spirit that have made Australia peerless. "The key is the characters we pick in our team," he said. He then cited Justin Langer - who spent over a year practising how to hit the slow bowlers over the infield - and Andrew Bichel as examples of the work ethic and attention to detail that have given Australia the edge.

Bichel has been a fringe player for most of his career, but Waugh said his selfless spirit was an inspiration to the rest of the side. "If someone hits a century or gets five wickets, he [Bichel] takes a photo with his camera and says, 'Here is a momento'. He did a lot of things to make the side what it is," he said.

Waugh said the team was looking forward to the Indian tour next year. Their last attempt at conquering what was referred to as "the last frontier" ended in a 1-2 defeat in 2001. "It's a big challenge to win in India," he said. "India are a great side on the home soil."

Waugh is in India to promote certain charities and also to fulfil some commercial obligations.

[couragous cloke]

nice waughy nice... i bet there mean bastards on the field lol... i cannot wait to get back out there for cricket, the sledging makes it fun. i luv getting sledged when im batting, dont know why, its just funny what you hear sum guys say, and u think, hmmmm i might use that line later on

[Donny]

Sledging not acceptable, says Lloyd
The Wisden CricInfo Interview by Anand Vasu - August 23, 2003

Steve Waugh has won more matches as captain than Clive Lloyd. His team, though, are habitual offenders when it comes to breaches of the code of conduct. You could never say that about Lloyd. He's proud of the fact that his men played the game in the spirit it was meant to be played in. As captain, he wasn't afraid to enforce the law; as match referee, he's paid to do so. Speaking exclusively to Wisden CricInfo, Lloyd lays down the law.

How serious is the problem of sledging?

Well, to be honest we have not had a spate of incidents or anything. By and large things have been under control. There was the McGrath-Sarwan incident in the West Indies and I suppose that was highlighted a lot. But it's covered in the code of conduct. If it was such a problem, then the umpires and referees have a right to step in. Sledging is not allowed in our code of conduct.

Where does gamesmanship end and sledging begin?

I have refereed for quite a while and haven't had any problems. We had one problem with Darren Lehmann, but that comment was made while he was coming off the field. So I wouldn't really call that sledging. He made a very unacceptable comment and was punished for that. So I think it's very clear where we all stand when it comes to sledging. People must understand that it's simply not allowed. It's not about what's acceptable and what isn't.

But there are other ways to show aggression. A fast bowler can pepper a tailender with bouncers and intimidate …

Well, you're not allowed to do that either. Once it is picked up that a bowler or a team is trying to intimidate someone the umpires must step in. Then that's it, and the team that's trying to intimidate is forced to change their tactics. You can bowl as many short-pitched deliveries as you want, as long as the bowler is not seeking to cause bodily harm. It's entirely up to the umpire to see if it's intimidating.

What is the role of the captain in all this?

The captain is in charge of his team, or should be. Sledging didn't happen in my time and there's really no reason it should happen now. Because there have been a few incidents, the ICC have done what they needed to. The laws have also been changed to reflect this. In certain cases – like slow over-rates – the captain is charged double if he fails to get things going within the rules.

Would it be fair to say that behaviour standards in general have deteriorated?

We've always had one or two problems, there's no doubt about that. One Difference, though, is that the match referee now has a very clear brief. There's a code of conduct in place that everybody knows about well in advance. Before tournaments and matches you have briefings and the law is laid down. The players know exactly what they should be doing, and equally what they should not be doing. In that sense there's no excuse for any breaches.

Are the current laws effective enough?

I think the laws are effective enough as they are. The players need to be more aware of the role they play. After all, they're in a position to influence a lot of people – especially youngsters. Whether they like it or not they're going to be looked at as role models. Television now plays such a big part in cricket. Every thing you do on the field is watched, replayed and analysed. A lot of things that might have been missed before are highlighted now. So naturally, players must be conscious that a lot of young people are watching them – and they must act accordingly.

Do the umpires have enough authority to enforce the code?

The umpires still have a lot of authority. Even now, they're the people who can bring the charges against any player. They're out in the middle and in the thick of things and that's how it should be. They can give as much leeway is required. When the rules are broken they bring things to the referee and only then is a punishment meted out.

Essentially, what causes people to sledge?

People can get frustrated quite easily at the highest level. If it's a fast bowler, sometimes it's hot and the conditions are against you. There's nothing in the wicket and a batsman is having an easy time of it. Then when a decision goes against them, they get really annoyed and something snaps. It's not as though they're bad characters. They have to understand that at moments like this, they have to curb themselves and mind their manner. If they don't, they could easily put their side in a detrimental position. Not only can you be banned, but you can lose your place in the side for a couple of games.

Sunil Gavaskar said recently that your fast bowlers didn't have to resort to sledging …

Our fast bowlers were brought up in the right manner. We just wanted to get players out. We've never believed in cheating and we genuinely want the game to be played in the right spirit. That's one thing cricket has always had. When something's not right, you say `it's not cricket'. You don't say `it's not football' or `it's not golf.' So yes, you should be passionate, but if you're beaten then you have to accept that and move on. There's always another day, another game.

[Donny]

Australia clamp down on bad behaviour
Lynn McConnell - October 1, 2003

Australia's cricketers donated sledging to the world, but patience with the practice has worn out and the powers that be Down Under have decided that it's time for an image change. Some tough penalties will be in place for the new season following discussions this week between Cricket Australia (CA) and players at first-class and national level.

Pressure for an attitude and administrative change came after the clash in the West Indies between Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Sponsors, spectators and parents signalled to CA that enough was enough. Now, some severe penalties will be in place. Specific areas for improvement are: code of behaviour, racial and religious vilification, drugs, and harassment.

The new stance is intended to strengthen and protect the Spirit of Cricket. CA believes that cricket's appeal to fans and participants is closely related to the values that are firmly entrenched in the game, whether it be at international or local level. As a result, the formal strategy includes a wide range of initiatives designed to help create an environment in which the game's values can be upheld.

This includes working with State and Territory cricket associations to educate the cricket community on codes and policies which enforce these.

Michael Brown, CA's operations manager, said: "We have given our players a clear definition of what is required. We are limited to Test and domestic players, but ultimately you would like to think that local teams will adopt our guidelines. But that's an evolution-of-time issue."

The worst breaches of the new policy have been defined as "Assault and racial and religious vilification". This will be punishable by a ban of between five multi-day matches and/or 10 one-day matches, and a life ban.

The next level involves the use of language or gestures that offend, insult, humiliate, intimidate, threaten, disparage or vilify another person on the basis of that person's race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin. Offences proven at this level will attract bans of between two and four multi-day matches and/or between four and eight one-day matches.

Showing serious dissent at an umpire's decision, engaging in physical contact with other players or officials, charging toward the umpire when appealing or throwing the ball near a player or official will result in a fine between half and the full match fee and/or a ban of between one and two multi-day matches and/or two and four one-day matches.

Level one offences include abusing cricket equipment or clothing, showing dissent at an umpire's decision by action or verbal abuse, using obscene language, appealing excessively or celebrating a dismissal before a decision, and pointing the dismissed batsman to the pavilion. These types of offences will be punishable by an official reprimand and/or a fine up to 50% of the match fee, or a suspended ban of up to one multi-day match and/or two one-day matches.