Aussie Sledging

I have been following the current down under series of India closely. I love Aussies for their consistent performance and high spirits. They play their game hard and tough. Well, I think it is gone beyond desirable levels.

After years of watching Aussies play, I have seen them using these three main weapons in a game:

1) Any bowler will be disappointed with himself if he bowls a bad ball or his ball is hit for runs. He can show his disappointment to himself and not on the opposition batsman. But Aussies bowlers always yell or utter a unwanted word at the batsman under such circumstances. Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Glen McGrath, Brett Lee to name a few.

2) Many times Aussies are found to be the adamant demanding child in the field with lots of
tantrums. When their appeal is turned down they question the umpires in a way that they are not
caught for showing dissent and keep staring at the umpires. Finally they will push the umpire to give
the next appeal in their favor.

3) Aussies are the only team who will wait for umpires to give them OUT even when they are
clean bowled!!!!. They claim that they try their luck with umpires to get a NOTOUT so as to
compensate for the times there were given OUT when they were actually not. Batsman having
a close decisions going for him is acceptable but the above quality of knowingly
suppressing the information that you are OUT from the umpires and not walking off is nothing but a
spoil sport.

Aussies recently have started sledging outside the field too. They have mastered the act of sledging.

A game can result in a winner and loser but without even the game, gamesmanship can be always the winner.