*Official* Australia in West Indies Thread

[aussie_beater]

Now that the match is over with a historic Windies triumph, we need to look at what actually happened in that infamous mid-pitch clash between McGrath and Sarwan.

It has been suggested in the press that McGrath made a comment at Sarwan which tripped him to retort with a remark about McGrath's wife and then McGrath just lost it.I think the match referee should have taken some kind of disciplinary measure in this case, specially with McGrath's actions which showed he was totally out of control.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Great effort by the Windies, great batting from Sarwan and Chaderpaul especially.

this is one of the reasons that i think that mcagill should not be in the test team, he bowls absolute crap sometimes, in his stats however this is evened out by he better performances, but in no way is he consistant enough to play test cricket for Australia

What bemuses me is that Waugh turned to MacGill instead of continuing with Lee, or bowling Bichel or McGrath.

 

[Tim]

I think maybe Waugh was becoming concerned with the way Lee & McGrath were reacting to the situation. Im probably wrong but if that was the case then Australia need to address that problem before one of them totally snaps next time.

McGrath is pretty good at giving out sledge, but I think he's probably one of the worst when it comes to recieving sledge back.

 

[krkode]

McGrath may also be having a hard time emotionally, and this may not be the easiest time for him to handle taking sledging...

But you get what you giveth, or something like that, and if he's in no mood to recieve it, he should try not to give it.

As much as this seems like a problem, I have the highest admiration for him as a bowler, and I wish him only good things

 

[Tim]

to be fair to McGrath it wasn't just him who was giving the sledge..Hayden, Waugh, Lee, Langer & Lehmann were also involved during other parts of the 4th day.

I just cannot see how Warne labelled NZ the worst sledgers when Australia have had several player issues over the last year or so.

 

[Top_Cat]

Mind you, it wouldn't surprise me if Sarwan had irritated Glenn McGrath enough to want to deck him. I know a couple of guys who played with him when he and Wavell Hinds came down the Academy on the last WI tour here and they reckon there wasn't a player amongst them who didn't want to take him behind the stands and beat the living crap out of him. Apparently Mr. Sarwan may be a gun batsman but has a lot to learn about humility and not throwing tantrums when things don't go his way.

If Sarwan's comments were so bad, maybe Glenn McGrath's response was actually restrained. If not, well then he's a boorish oaf. I have a feeling it might be the former.

 

[Tim]

Yeah Corey but im afraid you cannot deny that at a younger age that alot of players might have wanted to do the same thing to McGrath.

 

[R_Powell_fan]

* I've always thought of Stuart MacGill's inconsistency stemming from his action which, I think, makes it easy for him to have times when he simply lacks rythm and bowl a lot of bad balls.

*As for the McGrath-Sarwan incident, I don't think Sarwan would ever say something about McGrath's wife, it is more likely than not media hype, also I think he is humble and not self-centred. In a interview after the fourth day published on the WI Cricket board, he said he definately thought things got way out of hand between him and McGrath, and that he'd like to leave that behind him.

The Windies cricket board site:
http://www.windiescricket.com

 

[aussie_beater]

Whatever it was that caused McGrath to snap, I think Mike Procter bungled big time in not taking him to task for his behaviour.If after proper scrutiny of the situation it was found that Sarwan was also responsible then he should have copped disciplinary actions too.

This sort of inconsistency in dealing with such cases from an ICC standpoint is what makes things miserable when they do act for similar offences in other cases.The whole thing becomes a joke and sometimes even causes tremendous problems for the game as a whole with accusations of bias etc.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

also I think he is humble and not self-centred.

I get an impression of the contrary. It seems to me that Sarwan is quite full og himself. I am almost certain, however, that he did not make the alleged comments concerning McGrath's wife.

 

[Tim]

Sometimes when a team or a player fires up, things can be said in the heat of the moment that on reflection probably should not have been said.

Now probably by the time Sarwan had had enough of McGraths sledge for an hour and after hitting a few fours off him, he made a passing comment which might have been about his wife or something else who knows but these things can happen and at the end of the day everyone realises that it was a mistake & that it should be forgotten about.

In the end its up to McGrath and Sarwan as to whether they want to leave it on the field or hold personal revenge against each other for the next couple of years.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I think maybe Waugh was becoming concerned with the way Lee & McGrath were reacting to the situation.

The only reaction I saw from Lee was that of celebration when he picked up his fourth wicket. Lee bowled for 4/62 and MacGill bowled for 1/148 (?). Therefore it strikes me as poor bowler management today. All fair and well if he wanted to try something to see if he would get a wicket, but MacGill had been expensive and was expensive when he was called upon today.

He did however have a good LBW shout against Drakes...

Steve Waugh is a great captain and I guess he must have had his reasons, but a couple of his decisions in this series have really baffled me.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Sometimes when a team or a player fires up, things can be said in the heat of the moment that on reflection probably should not have been said.

IMO, it does add to the excitement and drama when there is a confrontation (eg Lara/Waugh/Hayden on Saturday really had me pumped up and glued to the TV) but ultimately, a player should let the bat or the ball do the talking. Lara did this to some extent and Sarwan definitely did it with a very fine innings.

 

[Tim]

There would have been a valid reason. You can't hear everything that is said on the field..you can only judge by reactions and maybe Waugh got told by management to cool things down a little..because it would seem strange to me if Australia said that both Lee & McGrath succumbed to injuries so they could not bowl for the rest of the test match.

Anyway in a couple of years time there will probably be a book written solely on this test match and about all the twists and turns it had. There will be some information in that test that both teams will probably want to keep hush about for awhile.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Perhaps in the autobiography of Martin Love? Boy, what a rotten Test match he had. I feel genuinely sorry for him. The cameramen obviously didn't though...

 

[aussie_beater]

Talking trash to the opposing players is one thing and gesticulating wildly and shouting in the middle of the pitch including wagging fingers at the umpires, is quite different and absolutely unacceptable. Such behaviour needs to be punished.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Talking trash to the opposing players is one thing and gesticulating wildly and shouting in the middle of the pitch including wagging fingers at the umpires, is quite different and absolutely unacceptable. Such behaviour needs to be punished.

I agree. I think I mentioned something similar in an earlier comment. McGrath used 'getsures' toward Sarwan and whilst taltking to the umpire. It's not the first bit of 'naughty' behaviour by McGrath againts the Windies. I remember him having spit on the stumps or something in an incident with Adrian Griffith in 1999. I may be wrong about the specifics, but it did involve spitting and Griffith.

 

[krkode]

And he once allegedly called Jayasurya a "black monkey"...

Don't really believe in that, though...:rolleyes:

 

[hourn]

I think people way to hard on MacGill purely because we've been spoilt with Warne.

Aside from Warne, Grimmett and O'Reilly there have been no leg spinners who have had really good control.

MacGill was a make or break decision last nite - that six from Drakes may have caught the top edge and skied up. Waugh took the risk and it didn't pay off.

As I said if MacGill was playing in the 80's he would've been considered our best spinner since Benaud at the time.

 

[Tim]

Well it appears McGrath kept making ***ual comments at Sarwan and then once Sarwan had had enough he muttered something about McGraths wife. McGrath lost the plot & started pointing fingers at Sarwan & demanding action from the umpire.