Jarrod Kimber: The Ugly Australian

[Borisdog]

When they were speared, they had a side better equipped than any other to challenge the West Indies. They had just utterly destroyed an Australian side that was full of quality shortly before their turfing.

Their re-entry into the sport was to make the World Cup semi finals (should have made the final probably), getting within 50 runs of beating the West Indies at Kensington Oval in their first test for 20 years and then winning a series against India.
Given the volume of star players who never even played a test, I think it’s more likely that they would have competed than not

The Saffers flogged Australia in the 1970 tour, no doubt. And a great side, no doubt either

But “An Australian side full of quality”? Questionable for mine.

 

[PhatBoy]

The Saffers flogged Australia in the 1970 tour, no doubt. And a great side, no doubt either

But “An Australian side full of quality”? Questionable for mine.

Australia’s attack wasn’t great beyond Mallett and McKenzie but the batting was quality - Lawry, Chappell, Redpath, Stackpole, Walters.

 

[Borisdog]

I don’t think Stackpole was good enough to be called top quality, but the other names I agree with. Funnily enough Connolly got most of the wickets, no-one else did a thing.

 

[Gough]

Australia’s attack wasn’t great beyond Mallett and McKenzie but the batting was quality - Lawry, Chappell, Redpath, Stackpole, Walters.

They lost to an average England side at home in 70/71 with Chappell, Marsh and Lillee all debuting. I agree it was a great South African side but we were a side in transition at the time.

 

[RookiePick]

Aussies can be pretty ugly in the pursuit of winning games. Every week I am amazed at how many parents are encouraging their children at Auskick for behaviour - like tackling - that is flat out against the rules. Ignorance or a desire to watch their kid "win" or "dominate"

I think cricket is a bit unique in capacity for poor behaviour to take hold. Hours and hours of time to be filled in by extremely competitive people. Lots of other sports the games are so much shorter and more athletically demanding that there isn't often time or energy enough for niggle to escalate too far.

Kimbers article was interesting and I agree with most of his points but he wasn't shy about gilding the lily I felt. Also a massive campaigner to publish an article like that on ANZAC day IMO.

 

[Caesar]

Also a massive campaigner to publish an article like that on ANZAC day IMO.

lolwut

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I've played club cricket in Australia and England and it is a lot different here

A lot more competitive here. A lot more verbal stuff. Feels like everyone is playing to win here whereas in England there's more a friendly atmosphere in their club games. A nice afternoon for a hit eh what

That win-at-all-costs mentality we have is a double edged sword - it means that games are genuine contests, hard-fought affairs with everyone giving their all (good). It also means that the desire to win spills over into below the belt sledging at times (bad).

It would be nice to strike that perfect balance where teams throw everything in their skill arsenal at each other but leave the verbal stuff alone but I'm not sure this is possible. I don't think you can have a no holds barred skill contest where there is absolutely no spillover into any untowards stuff.

It's a very fine line. Would take extremely heavy policing from umpires/tribunals.

I didn't really like the club cricket atmosphere in England to be honest. I'm not a sledger at all but the lack of competitive spirit and lower intensity games didn't do it for me. You almost felt guilty for caring, for charging in and going 100%.

The article itself makes a few good points but lets itself down by deliberately only telling part of the story in order to fit their preferred narrative. Just as an example the article talks about Stuart Broad not walking and the Aussies attitude to it - How did India react when Andrew Symonds didn't walk at the SCG?

 

[Kyptastic]

That 1970 Australian touring side has just come off a two month 5 test tour of India (which they won, the last Australian side to do so prior to 2004) before heading straight to South Africa where they had to deal with a complete opposite in terms of playing conditions - they were all cooked and they got belted. If that Australian side was fresh it may have been a different result.

 

[Truckosaurus]

lolwut

Well known fact that you can't criticise anything Australian on ANZAC Day. It's in the constitution somewhere, near the bit about having to know Bradman's batting average to get citizenship.

 

[MC Bad Genius]

http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/st...ustralian--the-evolution-of-a-cricket-species

If you’ve got a spare 10 minutes this is a seriously interesting read.

And also produced a fact that I had no idea about: since 1970, South Africa has the best winning percentage of all test nations. Not bad considering they missed 20 years when they would largely have had a champion team.

Another great read from Kimber. The most interesting point was how he used the false idea that Australian cricketers are beyond reproach as a reason for why the bans imposed on Warner/Smith/Bancroft were so disproportionate. It enabled Cricket Australia to continue to use the "tough but fair" approach and to retain a sense of moral superiority.

 

[Footy1982]

I like kimber as a writer but found parts of article too much. No reference to any other sides misbehaviour (monkeygate, numerous ball tampering by all countries, hansie, miandad & malik, gaviskars carry on), seemed a biased view to frame the article as ugly australian cricketers. As an example the indians are happy to sledge but play the victim when it comes the other way.


Australian sport at an amateur level is hard and tough and in my view is how sport should be played, and carries through to the professionals. This type of grounding is probably why the cricket team has been so successful. Mens sport is a mans game and no quarter should be asked or given, as should be the same with womens sport.

The other part focusing on a left wing agenda highlighting concerns with Australian society was also unnecessary about an article on cricket behaviour.

 

[revo333]

I'm not proud of the Australian behaviour and conduct most of the times but spare me the sympathy for other countries.

Whenever another country has had a chance to do the same against a weak Australian team they have done it.

The English got applauded for doing it in 2005.

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Mens sport is a mans game and no quarter should be asked or given, as should be the same with womens sport.

Haha. Womens sport should be a man's game?

 

[STFU Donnie]

For all the things I don’t like about Marsh throughout the years, not least of all his joke selectorial practices, it’s one thing that’s always stood out to me, he knew it was wrong and he didn’t just let it happen, he at least tried something to avoid it

And his recalling of Randall during the Centenary Test. Can you imagine a team coached by him resorting to the sandpaper technique?

 

[Freo Big Fella]

Masturbatory cultural cringe. But I guess that's what earns you money as an Australian cricket writer these days.

 

[R Chee Manning]

It's pretty pathetic for Australians to moan 'oh everyone else is the same', 'everyone sledges'. 'everyone cheats'.

NO.

And to think so is just arrogant and deluded.

Aotearoa may be just a tiny hick country in the eyes of most Australians but at least Boof gave credit to the New Zealand team ethic.

We're not yobbos. We're not mongrels.

And we're not c*nts.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...af-out-of-nzs-book-to-save-australian-cricket

 

[The Speaker]

I would love to see the Australian team emulate the attitude of the modern New Zealand team, who realised a few years ago that trying to emulate the Australian way was pointless and unhelpful.

I would also love to see the above poster be more constructive.

 

[R Chee Manning]

I would also love to see the above poster be more constructive.

We are not like you.


Even when we win our first game of the world cup Coney and Waddles are telling us not to get too carried away.

We were clinical and destructive in our bowling attack. We were flawless in our batting. We were perfect in the field. We won emphatically.

But it's not the Kiwi way to gloat.

We are not like you.

 

[corbies]

We are not like you.


Even when we win our first game of the world cup Coney and Waddles are telling us not to get too carried away.

We were clinical and destructive in our bowling attack. We were flawless in our batting. We were perfect in the field. We won emphatically.

But it's not the Kiwi way to gloat.

We are not like you.

You are literally gloating right now.

 

[The Speaker]

We are not like you.


Even when we win our first game of the world cup Coney and Waddles are telling us not to get too carried away.

We were clinical and destructive in our bowling attack. We were flawless in our batting. We were perfect in the field. We won emphatically.

But it's not the Kiwi way to gloat.

We are not like you.

It's pretty easy to see how you managed to get suspended so quickly. Literally post nothing but bait.

 

[frankrizzo]

He isn't just gloating while deriding it he is all but calling aussies campaigners and yobbos while lashing our abusive players, this is the issue with people thinking the players represent their own character traits, im not a bad bloke because warner abuses people on a cricket field and you aren't a good bloke because the nz cricket team are polite.

 

[R Chee Manning]

It's pretty easy to see how you managed to get suspended so quickly. Literally post nothing but bait.

Simple Minds...

 

[R Chee Manning]

He isn't just gloating while deriding it he is all but calling aussies campaigners and yobbos while lashing our abusive players, this is the issue with people thinking the players represent their own character traits, im not a bad bloke because warner abuses people on a cricket field and you aren't a good bloke because the nz cricket team are polite.

Us Kiwis have never bowled underarm.

We have never tampered with the ball with tape.

Those thoughts would never even enter our minds.

 

[The Speaker]

Simple Minds...

They do say that simple things amuse simple minds, and you clearly get a kick out of doing this.

 

[frankrizzo]

Us Kiwis have never bowled underarm.

We have never tampered with the ball with tape.

Those thoughts would never even enter our minds.

You aren't the players mate, neil wagner sledges as much as any player in the game but thats not your fault simply because he plays for nz but you also aren't a better person than any of us because of the way a bunch of sports people who don't even know you exist behave during a game.