Ashes sledging

[greg]

I don't agree that it should happen,i just think it will.

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by Lemming

I've heard that before. It has to be the perfect comeback in that situation and I'm looking to put on weight in order to use it in the future!

Well, it's not quite the biscuits I look forward to ...

[Ninjaman]

McGrath to Sarwan: What does Brian Lara's **** taste like?
Sarwan to McGrath: I don't know. Go and ask your wife.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Andy Mellon

I believe this was actually an exchange between Glenn McGrath and Eddo Brandes

Brandes - why are you so bloody fat etc...

Yup, I love that biscuit thing. And everyone's got it wrong. It was McGrath to Brandes... McGrath with the first words.

Can you really believe that Brandes would've asked McGrath why he was so fat?
I think not.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

Disagree completely, Greg. Two wrongs don't make a right. There's no call for personal comment on the cricket field.

I have to say the thought that either side would decline from mentioning marriage break up, where the mention of the break up is intended to "hurt," is extremely unlikely.

England and Australia are reasonably hard-nosed professionals, I would expect the Australians to ask Harmison if he is home sick, Trescothick what he intends to do with his feet while he's batting and Thorpe what he's doing for sex at the moment. Doubtless the English will ask the same of Warne and Gilchrist, not forgetting to ask how his mate Michael Slater is.

And if you believe for one moment that that will not happen, then I'm afraid you will be sadly mistaken.

Unless, of course, you know better than me, and you've seen that both sides have asked for a moratorium on such issues.

But I rather suspect that they have not.

I still rather like the Hayden sledge from the Ashes in Australia. Hayden simply accompanied every new English batsman as they made their way to the wicket, and casually sniped: "What on earth do you think you are doing coming to the wicket to play against us? Do you really believe you have the class or skill to survive?"

In mitigation, after their sustained onslaught, I heard that the Australians were rather impressed with Robert Key's performance. It is sad that Robert Key has neither the class nor skill to survive.

[Occasional Fan]

Anything to do with the cricket is fine by me. I doubt it will be restricted to that, but I'd just prefer that it was. Game related comments have been around ever since Pontius was a pilot, and they add to the tales which people can tell after their retirement. I have a tape of Dickie Bird relating an incident - oft-repeated - involving FS Trueman, who used to hang around at the bottom of the pavilion steps to welcome the incoming batsmen with the advice "Don't bother thi' sen wit' closin' t' gate, tha'll be back 'ere shortly" (or something similar in a Yorkshire accent). No harm in that, as I see it.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

Anything to do with the cricket is fine by me. Game related comments have been around ever since Pontius was a pilot, and they add to the tales which people can tell after their retirement.

You remind of a comment made by an English Test cricketer to the crowd on the 30th December 1932 at the MCG.
Woodfull was bowled by Gubby Allen for 10 (Aus 29-1) and while O'Brien and Fingleton were batting, the wags in the Melbourne crowd were sniping at RES Wyatt on the boundary edge saying something along the lines of: "you chaps'll be in trouble when Bradman comes to the wicket" "Don's gonna score more runs than you've ever seen" and "you'll be sorry if you take another wicket."

O'Brien was run out for ten with the score at 67-2, and one ball later Bradman was back in the pavilion bowled Bowes for naught (AUS 67-3). McCabe came out and begun to settle in.

As the fourth wicket partnership progressed, Wyatt found himself back on the boundary again. The MCG wags had gone rather quiet so Wyatt turned to the crowd and said: "So when's this chap Bradman coming in then?"

Needless to say Australia had the last laugh, Bradman made 103 not out in the second innings and the Australians won by 119 runs.

[greg]

Whether there is anything in it you can imagine the England players asking how many kids Hayden has sworn at today every time he goes to crease.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Oliver

...I would expect the Australians to ask Harmison if he is home sick, Trescothick what he intends to do with his feet while he's batting and Thorpe what he's doing for sex at the moment...

The first two comments are perfectly acceptable, except Harmison is playing at home in this Ashes series. The final comment is perfectly unacceptable, and I would expect unneeded as the last I heard Thorpe was in a new settled relationship.

As I said before if a player recently had a death in the family, or a family member were seriously hurt in an accident, it would be far from acceptable to comment on such things. Involving players' families is completely unacceptable, your example of a comment to make to Thorpe blatently refers to his marriage breakdown which has nothing at all to do with cricket. Comment like that are completely unprofessional and players should be penalised by the governing body if such comments are heard.

Hopefully this summer sledging will be as hard as ever, but sledging refering solely to cricketing issues!

[Junior_Flem]

I agree with those who have said it should not be personal. However, we are naive if we think it's not going to happen. It has in the past and it will continue. For my part, I just hope that whatever is said stays on the field.