EagleBlue
12 Mar 2003, 23:33
This great piece of "journilism" from Martin Blake of The Age
Ricky Ponting is one lucky hombre to have escaped a ticking off, a fine or a suspension over his sledging of Chris Cairns in Tuesday's World Cup match against New Zealand.
It simply doesn't matter what Ponting said, whether it was "a bit of friendly banter" as the national one-day captain suggested, or something more serious than that as it undoubtedly looked to be.
It doesn't matter that Cairns might have said something to Ponting earlier, as has been suggested, or that Cairns was quoted in the press recently as saying - rather provocatively - that Ponting was an "unproven international captain".
These are reasons for the tension, but not excuses for what happened. There is always tension in cricket at this level, and there are always reasons for the flare-ups that occur. But they don't excuse the result and they can't be allowed to excuse it. Otherwise we have anarchy.
Cricket has a real problem if it allows dismissed batsmen to be treated in such a manner, when they have no comeback. One day, a batsman will lash out physically in such circumstances, and not surprisingly either, when you combine the natural disappointment of being dismissed with a gobful of abuse from an opponent.
Cairns did himself no favours by complaining to umpire Steve Bucknor as he departed, for he merely looked like a schoolboy tattler. But having lost his wicket already, he scarcely deserved the follow-up treatment from Ponting. It is like a boxer hitting when his man has already fallen. Classy sportsmen and women don't do it.
Australian cricket has expressed concern about the image of the national team. A lot of people say the players come across as bullies who cannot cop it when someone from another team gives them a little of their own medicine. Strictly speaking it is not so, for most of the time their behaviour is impeccable; people tend to jump on the little incidents. But it is little wonder that people make the assumption when Ponting is losing his wick like this. Australia has won 14 consecutive matches, is virtually unchallenged at the top of the cricketing tree. It doesn't need to put the boots into anyone.
Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee, is at fault. Madugalle is a delightful character, a former Sri Lankan captain and an astute judge of cricket. But he is too soft in the way he interprets behaviour. Three years ago at the SCG, Glenn McGrath ran off his line to scream in the face of Sachin Tendulkar in his exuberance at having dismissed the best batsman in the world with a beautiful piece of bowling. Madugalle called in McGrath and ticked him off, but there was no report. The referee has a history of liberal interpretation.
What Ponting did the other night was to give licence to every kid at every level of cricket to give the next batsman they dismiss a nice old verbal send-off. By this weekend, he could conceivably be Australia's Test captain.
His feistiness is fine, for we cannot take his magnificent ability to hook bouncers off his nose to the boundary and then expect him to be a choirboy as well. But there are limits. For someone about to step into the captaincy, it was not good enough.
Ponting stepped across the metaphorical line because it was a premeditated attack on Cairns. When Cairns sliced a catch down to the third-man boundary, Ponting ran 10 or 15 metres off his normal line towards the batsman to deliver the spray, then headed off towards the celebrating mob. He knew exactly what he was doing.
NOW FOR MY COMMENT
Well I dont approve of giving sendoffs, (particularly captains) BUT Cairns got what he deserved. Shooting his mouth off in the press about how Ponting hasnt measured up as a cricket captain AND that the team was better off without Steve Waugh AND that he was approaching his best form and looking forward to getting up the aussies. Then he complained to the umpire, what a sook. Not only that I have seen several examples throughout the summer where batsman have been given sendoffs. (That includes Tendulkar). Why do people always have to look for reasons to knock this side. OK our behaviour could do with a bit of improvement but when every Tom, **** and Harry are looking at every minor incident to bring you down it makes it hard. Could it be that Mr Blake was masquerading as one of those "poor unfortunate" St George batsman that walked off the field after copping some sleding. Either that or he has never been out on a cricket field in his life. ( Or is really Mike Sheehan who has never played any kind of sport in his life !!!!)
Ricky Ponting is one lucky hombre to have escaped a ticking off, a fine or a suspension over his sledging of Chris Cairns in Tuesday's World Cup match against New Zealand.
It simply doesn't matter what Ponting said, whether it was "a bit of friendly banter" as the national one-day captain suggested, or something more serious than that as it undoubtedly looked to be.
It doesn't matter that Cairns might have said something to Ponting earlier, as has been suggested, or that Cairns was quoted in the press recently as saying - rather provocatively - that Ponting was an "unproven international captain".
These are reasons for the tension, but not excuses for what happened. There is always tension in cricket at this level, and there are always reasons for the flare-ups that occur. But they don't excuse the result and they can't be allowed to excuse it. Otherwise we have anarchy.
Cricket has a real problem if it allows dismissed batsmen to be treated in such a manner, when they have no comeback. One day, a batsman will lash out physically in such circumstances, and not surprisingly either, when you combine the natural disappointment of being dismissed with a gobful of abuse from an opponent.
Cairns did himself no favours by complaining to umpire Steve Bucknor as he departed, for he merely looked like a schoolboy tattler. But having lost his wicket already, he scarcely deserved the follow-up treatment from Ponting. It is like a boxer hitting when his man has already fallen. Classy sportsmen and women don't do it.
Australian cricket has expressed concern about the image of the national team. A lot of people say the players come across as bullies who cannot cop it when someone from another team gives them a little of their own medicine. Strictly speaking it is not so, for most of the time their behaviour is impeccable; people tend to jump on the little incidents. But it is little wonder that people make the assumption when Ponting is losing his wick like this. Australia has won 14 consecutive matches, is virtually unchallenged at the top of the cricketing tree. It doesn't need to put the boots into anyone.
Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee, is at fault. Madugalle is a delightful character, a former Sri Lankan captain and an astute judge of cricket. But he is too soft in the way he interprets behaviour. Three years ago at the SCG, Glenn McGrath ran off his line to scream in the face of Sachin Tendulkar in his exuberance at having dismissed the best batsman in the world with a beautiful piece of bowling. Madugalle called in McGrath and ticked him off, but there was no report. The referee has a history of liberal interpretation.
What Ponting did the other night was to give licence to every kid at every level of cricket to give the next batsman they dismiss a nice old verbal send-off. By this weekend, he could conceivably be Australia's Test captain.
His feistiness is fine, for we cannot take his magnificent ability to hook bouncers off his nose to the boundary and then expect him to be a choirboy as well. But there are limits. For someone about to step into the captaincy, it was not good enough.
Ponting stepped across the metaphorical line because it was a premeditated attack on Cairns. When Cairns sliced a catch down to the third-man boundary, Ponting ran 10 or 15 metres off his normal line towards the batsman to deliver the spray, then headed off towards the celebrating mob. He knew exactly what he was doing.
NOW FOR MY COMMENT
Well I dont approve of giving sendoffs, (particularly captains) BUT Cairns got what he deserved. Shooting his mouth off in the press about how Ponting hasnt measured up as a cricket captain AND that the team was better off without Steve Waugh AND that he was approaching his best form and looking forward to getting up the aussies. Then he complained to the umpire, what a sook. Not only that I have seen several examples throughout the summer where batsman have been given sendoffs. (That includes Tendulkar). Why do people always have to look for reasons to knock this side. OK our behaviour could do with a bit of improvement but when every Tom, **** and Harry are looking at every minor incident to bring you down it makes it hard. Could it be that Mr Blake was masquerading as one of those "poor unfortunate" St George batsman that walked off the field after copping some sleding. Either that or he has never been out on a cricket field in his life. ( Or is really Mike Sheehan who has never played any kind of sport in his life !!!!)