Shudder

[neville cardus]

Leafing idly this morning through David Hopps's anthology of cricketing quotations, I lit upon the following:

"Remember, with those speedsters bowling at 95mph, cricket can kill!"
Australian TV advert for Packer Circus, 1975.

"I want to hit you Bailey. I want to hit you over the heart."
Peter Heine, South African fast bowler, to Trevor Bailey.

"I try to hit a batsman in the rib cage when I bowl a purposeful bouncer. And I want it to hurt so much that the batsman doesn't want to face me any more."
Dennis Lillee, Back to the Mark, 1974.

"I enjoy hitting a batsman more than getting him out. I like to see blood on the pitch."
Jeff Thomson, Australian quick, 1974.

"When I hear Colin bowl de bounces, I get vex. Two bounces an over okay, but when he bowl five I get vex bad. I tell him, what happen if he hit batsman and he fall dead on de spot?"
Colin Croft's mother, during England's tour of the West Indies, 1981. (Recorded in Scyld Berry's Cricket Wallah, 1982.)

"I don't want any bloody sympathy. do you understand that? It has happened. People who say, 'I know how you feel,' are just talking bull****. They don't know, not at all. What I can't forget is that the ball was a deliberate short one. Not deliberately at his head, but still deliberate."
Peter Lever, England fast bowler, after felling New Zealand's last man, Ewen Chatfield, in the Auckland Test, 1975. Chatfield was hit on the temple and his heart stopped for several seconds.​

I'd heard or seen all these before, of course, but to read them after the events of November 25, 2014, is sobering and sickening.

Martin Crowe, now facing mortality himself, had it exactly right in this poignant effort for Cricinfo:

Rodney

 

[Swingpanzee]

One thing that's pissed me since Hughes died is how people refer to Phil's death as a reason why sledging or the media hype of competitive instances should be eliminated. It was ****ing accident ffs, and if anything one should be aiming to make the game safer by improving helmet safety and stop complacency against the short pitched delivery that has permeated the game since the advent of helmets. Sledging had nothing to do with what happened to Phillip, and even though Phil might never have publicly been documented to have sledged, he was a competitive cricketer who played the game in the right spirit just like millions of other people play sports.

I've read that article quite a few times and it is veritable bull****, imo.

 

[Debris]

That article by Martin Crowe is misguided at best and possibly dangerous if people take it seriously. He still wants bouncers bowled "with skill and precision" but wants players to take a less win at all costs attitude. Cricketers are in a dangerous occupation and if they start taking the game less seriously, which they can't help but do if they take the attitude in the article, the risk of injuries increases dramatically. In retrospect, Michael Clarke has nothing to feel sorry about for his "broken arm" comment. It probably actually reduced the chances of injury by warning the batsman of what to expect. People who want to take the angst out of the game don't realise how dangerous their good intentions are.

The thing about most of the comments by these bowlers are they are just that - comments - and probably made to drum up publicity for an upcoming series or mind games to an opponent. It is all just showmanship and said without serious intent. Or do you seriously think that Peter Heine wanted to kill Trevor Bailey?

Note: Dennis Lillee was quoted as saying he tried to hit batsman in the ribs with a bouncer and he believed that was the spot least likely to cause a serious injury. He did still want it to hurt though.

 

[Swingpanzee]

Cricinfo is a detestable place these days, apart from the scorecards.

 

[Pratters]

The article was written too soon after the tragedy. Cannot be objective completely. Even then, it wasn't talking about not bowling bouncers. It was talking about having a less at your throats kind of attitude. However, when these people are giving it their best at international level, where the level is absolute highest, you cannot ask them to temper down, else you temper down their performance.

 

[Pratters]

Cricinfo is a detestable place these days, apart from the scorecards.

Cricinfo is as bland as paneer without curry these days.

 

[neville cardus]

One thing that's pissed me since Hughes died is how people refer to Phil's death as a reason why sledging or the media hype of competitive instances should be eliminated. It was ****ing accident ffs, and if anything one should be aiming to make the game safer by improving helmet safety and stop complacency against the short pitched delivery that has permeated the game since the advent of helmets. Sledging had nothing to do with what happened to Phillip, and even though Phil might never have publicly been documented to have sledged, he was a competitive cricketer who played the game in the right spirit just like millions of other people play sports.

I've read that article quite a few times and it is veritable bull****, imo.

Since apparently you believe that the OP was about sledging, I shouldn't be surprised in the least to find that you've misinterpreted Crowe's efforts, too.

 

[neville cardus]

In retrospect, Michael Clarke has nothing to feel sorry about for his "broken arm" comment. It probably actually reduced the chances of injury by warning the batsman of what to expect.

Don't be silly.

The thing about most of the comments by these bowlers are they are just that - comments - and probably made to drum up publicity for an upcoming series or mind games to an opponent. It is all just showmanship and said without serious intent. Or do you seriously think that Peter Heine wanted to kill Trevor Bailey?

You look upon cricket, to all appearances, as I look upon warfare. If you think that such filth as I've quoted has any place in the game -- in any mere game -- and if you genuinely suppose that it deserves no more than a slippery description like "comments," I can't say I'm optimistic that any debate between you and me would be productive. I'd likely spend most of my time appealing to your sense of humanity and proportion. And that wouldn't be edifying for either of us.

So I'll just note without comment, since none is necessary, where you've chosen to place the word "dangerous."

 

[Debris]

Don't be silly.



You look upon cricket, to all appearances, as I look upon warfare. If you think that such comments have any place in the game -- in any mere game -- and if you genuinely suppose that they deserve no more than a slippery description like "comments," I can't say I'm optimistic that any debate between you and me would be productive. I'd likely spend most of my time appealing to your sense of humanity and proportion. And that wouldn't be edifying for either of us.

So I'll just note without comment, since none is necessary, where you've chosen to place the word "dangerous."

I have to wonder why you even bothered posting in a forum if you were not interested in dissenting opinions. Let me just point out that you started talking about a sense of humanity and proportion right after trivializing warfare by comparing it to cricket.

 

[neville cardus]

I'm interested in coherent opinions, and in those opinions which are not morally warped -- to say nothing of opinions whose authors are good enough carefully to peruse my own before issuing sulky responses to them. I did not compare cricket to warfare. What I wrote was this: "You look upon cricket, to all appearances, as I look upon warfare." (Emphasis added.) Do you not detect the difference?

 

[Swingpanzee]

Since apparently you believe that the OP was about sledging, I shouldn't be surprised in the least to find that you've misinterpreted Crowe's efforts, too.

"By all means bowl bouncers with skill and precision, but take out the angst and hate, the sledging and the media barbs, and just go out and express your version of your courage and skill for your team"

K. Have a good Sunday brunch.

 

[neville cardus]

"By all means bowl bouncers with skill and precision, but take out the angst and hate, the sledging and the media barbs, and just go out and express your version of your courage and skill for your team"

K. Have a good Sunday brunch.

Oh, do try to keep up. The OP is mine, and no reference is made in it to sledging. I maintain that you misinterpreted it, and that you had no basis for so doing.

And now, to refute me, you quote freely from Martin Crowe. Do I really need to explain why this won't get you anywhere?

When I said that I shouldn't be surprised to find that you've misintrepeted him as well, I didn't posit any grounds. How could I, since you offered none? All you gave us was this bland and unsubstantiated opinion: "I've read that article quite a few times and it is veritable bull****, imo." I assumed, and still do (notwithstanding the need you feel to read it over and over again), that this opinion is based on the same species of misreading which marks your characterisation of the OP.

It really is tiresome to have to spell all this out.

 

[SteveNZ]

One thing that's pissed me since Hughes died is how people refer to Phil's death as a reason why sledging or the media hype of competitive instances should be eliminated. It was ****ing accident ffs, and if anything one should be aiming to make the game safer by improving helmet safety and stop complacency against the short pitched delivery that has permeated the game since the advent of helmets. Sledging had nothing to do with what happened to Phillip, and even though Phil might never have publicly been documented to have sledged, he was a competitive cricketer who played the game in the right spirit just like millions of other people play sports.

I've read that article quite a few times and it is veritable bull****, imo.

Sledging had nothing to do with his death. But it was an opportune time to step back, realise how precious life is, how cricket is a game - not life - and that it should be played as such.

The usual suspects took about a Test and a day, two at the most before they were back to ****ting all over the essence of the sport.

Hardness is Sean Abbott getting back on the horse and doing what he loves doing, the same way he used to. And doing it well. Hardness is Chris Rogers getting peppered but knowing it could be his last Test, and grinding and grinding to aid his team.

Hardness is not the **** that comes out of messers Johnson, Haddin, etc's mouths.

To me, they had a chance at an epiphany. And anyone saying that Kohli dragged it out of them is working with a very short memory.

 

[harsh.ag]

What the **** is this guy's problem?

 

[harsh.ag]

Referring to the cardus fellow.

 

[wpdavid]

Sledging had nothing to do with his death. But it was an opportune time to step back, realise how precious life is, how cricket is a game - not life - and that it should be played as such.

The usual suspects took about a Test and a day, two at the most before they were back to ****ting all over the essence of the sport.

Hardness is Sean Abbott getting back on the horse and doing what he loves doing, the same way he used to. And doing it well. Hardness is Chris Rogers getting peppered but knowing it could be his last Test, and grinding and grinding to aid his team.

Hardness is not the **** that comes out of messers Johnson, Haddin, etc's mouths.

To me, they had a chance at an epiphany. And anyone saying that Kohli dragged it out of them is working with a very short memory.

This.

Before the usual suspects trot out the same old myths that mindless abuse is an inevitable consequence of how committed they are, or that it's always happened.

 

[harsh.ag]

Just leave the players alone, mofos.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Sledging had nothing to do with his death. But it was an opportune time to step back, realise how precious life is, how cricket is a game - not life - and that it should be played as such.

The usual suspects took about a Test and a day, two at the most before they were back to ****ting all over the essence of the sport.

Hardness is Sean Abbott getting back on the horse and doing what he loves doing, the same way he used to. And doing it well. Hardness is Chris Rogers getting peppered but knowing it could be his last Test, and grinding and grinding to aid his team.

Hardness is not the **** that comes out of messers Johnson, Haddin, etc's mouths.

To me, they had a chance at an epiphany. And anyone saying that Kohli dragged it out of them is working with a very short memory.

Yeah, pretty much this.

 

[Johnners]

What a load of crap. Giving Kholi a bit of lip isn't "****ing all over the essence of the sport" ffs.

Look to messrs Cronje, Asif etc if you want "****ing all over the essence of the sport".

 

[neville cardus]

What the **** is this guy's problem?

Post-festive dyspepsia.