Sledging Cricket
Cricket in the modern times is no more a game. Slowly and gradually turn into a war of supremacy being fought on the fields with non costumed weapons of the skillful actions with the ball and bat with the physical fitness abilities expressed in the form of fielding are proving yet another important weapon of the war.
The game of the cricket was the dominating area of the West Indian countries for several decades till the mid of 80’s when Australian cricket started to emerge as the new leaders with the concept of “cricket is a game neither played nor won on the ground but the mental power and proper implementation of tactics is going to take you to the position of being victorious.” This theory succeeded and since the late 80’s Australian cricket team replaced the mighty West Indians from the status of being the undisputed world champions of the game. In fact this was the start of replacement of talent and skill by the technical excellence and man power.
Sledging- a word or bunch of words pronounce by a single or group of fielders to disturb the concentration of the batsman become a lethal weapon on the cricketing grounds. Here also the Australian players were the front runners; rather we can say they succeeded in adding new word “Sledging” to the cricketing vocabulary.
Huge monetary inflow and immense popularities has made the situations more complicated and a win on the ground become more meaningful than any thing else. Indian entered into arena with the victory of 1983 ODI championship and started to cover the grounds at vigorous rates. Packer’s cricket forced the establishment of ICC and since the Presidential period of Shri Jagmohan Dalmia commercialization and financial growth started to boost. Mean while the Australian concept of “Mind game” was on full swing and Australian cricket team was on the run of being the strangest from the stronger by wining tournament after tournament. Successive win series of Australia inspired other cricketing nations to opt the mind game tactics. Who will forget the hard hitting of Sanath Jayasurya and Kaluvitarana in the ODI world cup or action of Kiwi team opting an off spinner to open the bowling attack in the same format of the game.
Winning started to become a habit of Australian players. Winning is that kind of human want, more you have more you desire to acquire, hence this want resulted in creating a desire among the Australian players and a change in their attitude and ground activities started to be visible. A few lines “Ricky Pointing has turned the bunch of talented Australian players into squad of wild dogs” of famous Australian cricket writer “Peter Rebock” are more than sufficient to address the attitudinal change of Australian players. Anything less than victory was not acceptable to Australian players and beside their winning zeal, talent, dedication they were ready to go for anything for the victory. The recently concluded Sydney Test Match is more than sufficient to tell the levels were Australian cricket team can go down for a win. The Sydney match will not only remembered for the disputed umpiring decisions against the Indian team but the dispute over the allegations of racial comments on the harbhajan Singh, Indian off spinner and recommended ban by the match referee Mike Proctor even in the lake of clear and decisive evidence.
Sledging and disputed decision which were used to be part of the game, started to find and occupy central place for every cricketing talk and discussion. Some one started to blame the officials for creating disputes, to some others the way of Australian won at Sydney was the objectionable, some others started to put the lights on how the Indians are meeting with double standards of umpiring decisions from time to time, but no one seems to go down to reasons of present storm which is threatening a division among the cricketing nations. Why the mighty Australian players are in the complaining mood? And how it becomes possible that masters of sledging fall pray to it? Are the some of the questions, answer to which might prove path indicative help to scholar investigating truth.
“A complain is intended to get birth from the fear”, is the most common saying and might be the strongest reason of complain by Australian players. Look at the recent records of the game, Indian is the only country, with proven strong bating line up and versatile and promising bowling attack, looked as the challenging team for the champions on the cricketing grounds. Recently concluded first world championship of twenty-20 format of the game, where Australians were not part of the final by virtue of semifinal defeat at the hands of India, is the best illustration of growing powers of the Indian cricket team. The defeat was not the reason of fear among the Australian players; it was the expression of change in attitude by the young and comparatively inexperienced team which proved a worry for the champions. The traditional weapon of sledging, used by Australians on the grounds over the years against the opponents was started to be part of game plan of Indians since this tournament. Might be the ideal of young Indians shifted to revolutionary thoughts of subashchandra Bose and Bhagat Singh from the principle of tolerance, peace and non violence of Mahatma Gandhi and they started to believe in the policy of “Treat for Trait” and taking the war into the territory of opponent. This feeling was much more painful for the Australians when compared with the defeat in T-20 championship. I don’t think it will be hard to find the reason of complain by the Australian players. After all we human beings are with the tendency that we can resist a competition in our good quality but never tolerate a competitor in our bad qualities.
Cricket in the modern times is no more a game. Slowly and gradually turn into a war of supremacy being fought on the fields with non costumed weapons of the skillful actions with the ball and bat with the physical fitness abilities expressed in the form of fielding are proving yet another important weapon of the war.
The game of the cricket was the dominating area of the West Indian countries for several decades till the mid of 80’s when Australian cricket started to emerge as the new leaders with the concept of “cricket is a game neither played nor won on the ground but the mental power and proper implementation of tactics is going to take you to the position of being victorious.” This theory succeeded and since the late 80’s Australian cricket team replaced the mighty West Indians from the status of being the undisputed world champions of the game. In fact this was the start of replacement of talent and skill by the technical excellence and man power.
Sledging- a word or bunch of words pronounce by a single or group of fielders to disturb the concentration of the batsman become a lethal weapon on the cricketing grounds. Here also the Australian players were the front runners; rather we can say they succeeded in adding new word “Sledging” to the cricketing vocabulary.
Huge monetary inflow and immense popularities has made the situations more complicated and a win on the ground become more meaningful than any thing else. Indian entered into arena with the victory of 1983 ODI championship and started to cover the grounds at vigorous rates. Packer’s cricket forced the establishment of ICC and since the Presidential period of Shri Jagmohan Dalmia commercialization and financial growth started to boost. Mean while the Australian concept of “Mind game” was on full swing and Australian cricket team was on the run of being the strangest from the stronger by wining tournament after tournament. Successive win series of Australia inspired other cricketing nations to opt the mind game tactics. Who will forget the hard hitting of Sanath Jayasurya and Kaluvitarana in the ODI world cup or action of Kiwi team opting an off spinner to open the bowling attack in the same format of the game.
Winning started to become a habit of Australian players. Winning is that kind of human want, more you have more you desire to acquire, hence this want resulted in creating a desire among the Australian players and a change in their attitude and ground activities started to be visible. A few lines “Ricky Pointing has turned the bunch of talented Australian players into squad of wild dogs” of famous Australian cricket writer “Peter Rebock” are more than sufficient to address the attitudinal change of Australian players. Anything less than victory was not acceptable to Australian players and beside their winning zeal, talent, dedication they were ready to go for anything for the victory. The recently concluded Sydney Test Match is more than sufficient to tell the levels were Australian cricket team can go down for a win. The Sydney match will not only remembered for the disputed umpiring decisions against the Indian team but the dispute over the allegations of racial comments on the harbhajan Singh, Indian off spinner and recommended ban by the match referee Mike Proctor even in the lake of clear and decisive evidence.
Sledging and disputed decision which were used to be part of the game, started to find and occupy central place for every cricketing talk and discussion. Some one started to blame the officials for creating disputes, to some others the way of Australian won at Sydney was the objectionable, some others started to put the lights on how the Indians are meeting with double standards of umpiring decisions from time to time, but no one seems to go down to reasons of present storm which is threatening a division among the cricketing nations. Why the mighty Australian players are in the complaining mood? And how it becomes possible that masters of sledging fall pray to it? Are the some of the questions, answer to which might prove path indicative help to scholar investigating truth.
“A complain is intended to get birth from the fear”, is the most common saying and might be the strongest reason of complain by Australian players. Look at the recent records of the game, Indian is the only country, with proven strong bating line up and versatile and promising bowling attack, looked as the challenging team for the champions on the cricketing grounds. Recently concluded first world championship of twenty-20 format of the game, where Australians were not part of the final by virtue of semifinal defeat at the hands of India, is the best illustration of growing powers of the Indian cricket team. The defeat was not the reason of fear among the Australian players; it was the expression of change in attitude by the young and comparatively inexperienced team which proved a worry for the champions. The traditional weapon of sledging, used by Australians on the grounds over the years against the opponents was started to be part of game plan of Indians since this tournament. Might be the ideal of young Indians shifted to revolutionary thoughts of subashchandra Bose and Bhagat Singh from the principle of tolerance, peace and non violence of Mahatma Gandhi and they started to believe in the policy of “Treat for Trait” and taking the war into the territory of opponent. This feeling was much more painful for the Australians when compared with the defeat in T-20 championship. I don’t think it will be hard to find the reason of complain by the Australian players. After all we human beings are with the tendency that we can resist a competition in our good quality but never tolerate a competitor in our bad qualities.
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