Which one is worse?

[uvelocity]

If I try to belt the bowler I am playing into his hands.

 

[Hurricane]

uh knuckle down? don't acknowledge it? Go about your game as per usual? So pretty much don't get fired up. That's playing right into his hands.

So basically the bowler gets to insult you and there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. Save for swearing back at him which will just distract from your focus and lead to your dismissal. Whole thing is underhanded at best and I would prefer the contest to be skill based.

The only argument that has ever meant anything to me for some unknown reason is that Grace used to sledge. And somehow him doing it legitimises it at some level for me - I am not sure how that works on me really.

Maybe in Australia if you grow up with sledging it doesn't mean a whole lot. I found when playing in Canada that the expats from other parts of the world didn't really indulge in it. So I think your opinion on this issue is ingrained at a young age playing in your own country.

I also acknowledge like I did in my first post that the players really don't care. Larry Gomes told me directly he didn't care about sledging when I was complaining about it (he guest starred for our team a couple of games) - he said to me if I had to put up with the chappell brothers in slip and rod marsh you can deal with club cricketers son.

I do wonder though why the players say they don't care about it - I suspect some of them don't care really - I suspect others don't want to admit it bothers them so that they don't become targets.

It is also not only Aussies - Kyle Mills was getting stuck into the Bangers one test match which saddened me because we were going to win anyway.

 

[uvelocity]

So basically the bowler gets to insult you and there isn't a whole lot you can do about it.

erm, you could, like, score some runs. Always pisses me off.

It is also not only Aussies - Kyle Mills was getting stuck into the Bangers one test match which saddened me because we were going to win anyway.

That's when you look like a douche.

 

[Black_Warrior]

So basically the bowler gets to insult you and there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. Save for swearing back at him which will just distract from your focus and lead to your dismissal. Whole thing is underhanded at best and I would prefer the contest to be skill based.

Of course you can.. You can score an unbeaten century and that will be the biggest insult for the bowler.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I don't really have a problem with any form of sledging, but I hate the send-offs. What's the point? You've already won the battle against that player, so there's nothing to gain from it. It's just being a ****.

My opinion exactly. Reflects far worse on the bowler than the batsman; you've already victorious, don't be a **** about it. It's like a boxer crowing over a prone opponent.

Sledging at least potentially serves a purpose.

I have no idea when sledging became synonymous with abuse, but it's misguided tstl.

Yeah, the best sledges are the subtle/funny ones that (can) eat away at a batsman. Like Sanga to Pollock in the world cup ("Weight of the home country's expectations on the captain's shoulders here") or the unnamed Australian fielder to Laxman in the recent series when Hussey came on just before a break ("Useless service please, Huss; let's have another warm-up wicket").

 

[Flem274*]

Been sledged. Been given send offs. Who cares. Motivates me to do well.

It's not worth crying about. As a bowler, it's very satisfying seeing the **** **** keeper or batsman who fields at slip trudging off after getting out. Just give them a nice big smile as they go.

I tried sledging the bowler when I was batting a few times. I'm pretty hopeless at batting but I was copping it so I had a crack back and I found it makes some bowlers very predictable, which is great for someone who can't bat because you know it's either aimed at your head or your toes. It decreases the amount of annoying places they want to bowl the damn thing.*

I get sworn at all the time in day to day life. ffs even on this forum. Seriously, it's not a big deal being called a **** every now and then...

Zip it ****.

*I still got out though

 

[Spark]

My opinion exactly. Reflects far worse on the bowler than the batsman; you've already victorious, don't be a **** about it. It's like a boxer crowing over a prone opponent.

Sledging at least potentially serves a purpose.



Yeah, the best sledges are the subtle/funny ones that (can) eat away at a batsman. Like Sanga to Pollock in the world cup ("Weight of the home country's expectations on the captain's shoulders here") or the unnamed Australian fielder to Laxman in the recent series when Hussey came on just before a break ("Useless service please, Huss; let's have another warm-up wicket").

Who was that, anyway? Important that this question is answered IMO, an unattributed sledge is a useless sledge

 

[BoyBrumby]

Who was that, anyway? Important that this question is answered IMO, an unattributed sledge is a useless sledge

Sounded like it came from gully/point-ish area. Def wasn't Haddin because it showed a modicum of wit & intelligence he was on camera at the time.

 

[benchmark00]

Couldn't have been Warner. Can't string a sentence together at the best of times.


Going with Joe the cameraman.

 

[Spark]

Then I can only think it was either Ponting or Clarke (who fields at a fairly widish first slip to Hussey, so a similar kind of position). Ponting is usually at cover though... Warner, perhaps? Sounds more like the kind of sledge Clarke would come up with (ie. no swearing), but Warner's more likely to be sledging full stop.

EDIT: Haha or maybe not Warner.

EDIT2: Reversed, but I recall Clarke loudly speculating that he'd declare after Hussey got to his triple-hundred at Sydney, loud enough so anyone fielding in the ring could hear. Made me lol at the time, but ruined it by then declaring about ten minutes later.

 

[Satguru]

Frankly, stupid sledging has to be worse than both... See: Ishant Sharma's epically dumb response to Warner

Sledging, as long as it doesnt cross the line is perfectly fine, and is a real test of the batsman's mental strength... if you cant handle it, stop playing. Watching a cluster close-in fielders sledge a batsman to death,especially when a spinner is bowling, and the batsman trying to concentrate with all his might on his game is beautiful to watch.. Its a gamble on the bowler/fielder's part, too... if he gets spanked for four, he's going to look extremely dumb.

On the other hand I find sendoffs in general to be really cowardly though... i mean, there isnt really much a batsman can do after being dismissed, theres no way he can respond. I especially hate when a bowler "sends off" a batsman after he's scored 200 or so and put his team in a commanding position, or even worse, when he knocks over a tail-ender... well, whoop-de-effing-do

Continuing with the permutations, Send-offs as a response to stupid sledging are the best thing ever... obvious example being Prasad vs Sohail. That incident summed up everything exciting about the India-Pak rivalry to me... the passion on sides was clear to see. Cricket wouldnt be the same without sledging and send-offs, cricketers should be given more freedom to express themselves. As long as it doesnt cross the line, i think both of them contribute greatly to providing memorable moments, cricket would be a passionless, honestly boring sport otherwise

 

[Arachnodouche]

Have timeouts for the players to joust it out. Reckon the ratings would improve too.

 

[Daemon]

Personally love to say "they're so desperate they need x batsmen on strike", thus insulting both the senior and junior batsmen at the crease simultaneously.

 

[Spikey]

Who was that, anyway? Important that this question is answered IMO, an unattributed sledge is a useless sledge

It could have been Marsh

 

[Spark]

It could have been Marsh

Wouldn't be fielding in that area, and plus it would be kind of silly for him to be sledging anyone.

Sharing contact details, maybe.

 

[Jacknife]

My opinion exactly. Reflects far worse on the bowler than the batsman; you've already victorious, don't be a **** about it. It's like a boxer crowing over a prone opponent.

Sledging at least potentially serves a purpose.

Agree, actually quite like the sledging and seeing how each player deals with it differently and who gets sledged and who doesn't. Send-offs though are ****ing bull****, cringewrothy waste of time, that makes the bowler look like a **** the majority of the time