By all accounts 'Trotty' is not too bad at sledging himself, which makes the public outcry against David Warner's personal attack on television a little ironic given the vitriol that has moved in both directions. Warner is not short of an opinion and has already a string of indiscretions against his name, although again ironically on this occasion he let his mouth and not his fist do the talking. That said, the cheap verbal punch was in poor taste and may have been the final straw for a player who was not only struggling with form, but who has a history of stress-related illness. Both England Captain Alastair Cook and Coach Andy Flower have been quick to jump to Trott's defence, and Cook in particular addressed the issue of Warner's personal criticism crossing the line. In this respect we wonder what he thinks of the Australian press whose gutter coverage at times belies intelligence. There is a belief in some quarters that the tough Australians can give and take it, but this is not a war, it is a sport, even if mind games are an integral part of most modern games.
The Aussies may not have invented sledging but they have perfected it and like monkeys most teams have followed their example down the years. Some of the insults have been so entertaining that books and blogs abound about them, and many of the comments are witty and funny. What constitutes crossing the line is a moot point. Australian Captain Michael Clarke escaped with a fine for telling Jimmy Anderson he was about to get his arm broken and we wait to see if the volatile Warner will be reprimanded at all.
Marcos Trescothwick is the best-known cricketer to speak out about stress and was one of the first people to publicly support the decision of Trott to return home. Trescothwick knows better than anyone the deep and dark side of depression and has fought courageously to overcome it for many years. He's not alone, but he had both the courage and the integrity to put everything into perspective when it hit him hardest several years ago.
Nobody knows what's happening in a player's head or indeed his personal life when he arrives at the crease, or how vulnerable they are to personal criticism. Do the sledgers identify the weak of mind and seek to exploit their personality, feeling they are fair game or do they do it irrespective of who they are. Are the sledgers macho men who feel anything goes? I doubt if anyone ever sledged Sir Viv Richards and if they did to 'Beefy" Botham then they took a huge risk!
I've never appreciated the value of sledging although it was rarely a problem in the game 30 years ago. However, I do recall the inimitable Roy Harrison being threatened by a North Down fielder after refusing to walk for one of those faint little tickles behind that Roy seemed to perfect with great skill. Roy ignored the threat first time and then ended the debate second time round with the immortal words "Come on big boy there's nobody stopping you!" At the same Roy brandished his bat behind his back preparing for the onslaught that he knew would never occur. It was "Game. Set and match" to Snowy and a wonderful cameo that showed even the most abusive mouths can't get under the toughest skins! Wee Roy was a master of mind games, but he never crossed the line.
We all know the old saying-"sticks and stones will hurt my bones but words will never harm me." However, this is not true in every case and more and more cricketers these days take the field with stress and related problems going through their head. Also, if your are being paid there is an inherent pressure that you have to produce results so any unfair attempt to unsettle a player by personal abuse, verbal attacks or third-party innuendo should not be tolerated.
Surely it is time for the ICC to ban intimidation of players, either before, after, or during the game? In the meantime why don't we take the lead in Irish cricket and do it first? It is not a rule change, but part of our Code of Behaviour so it doesn't have to go to the House of Lords.
Let's strike out a blow for good sportsmanship!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
