In the
aftermath of England’s second successive defeat, Johnny Bairstow has said that
if Aussie sledging “crosses the line” again, he would “take matters further”. This statement bothers me for various
reasons. I love the idea of opposing players exchanging jokes on the field but
verbal abuse designed specifically to unsettle or upset batsmen is totally out
of order.
When
mentioning ‘crossing the line’, what does he mean? It seems to me that when it
comes to sledging, there are no limits, no line. Secondly, for Bairstow and the
English squad, they are hardly angels when it comes to the verbals. James
Anderson is probably the worst of the current crop, but the likes of Hussain,
Prior et al always gave as good as they got. And then there’s the barely veiled
threat of reprisals. What does England’s current ‘keeper have in mind? Racing
around the pitch swearing and head-butting everyone in a green baggie?
I’ve written
before that if you don’t want things to get nasty, it would be very easy for
umpires to stamp it out. Three bouts of abuse and you’re off the field with no
substitute allowed. The issue of stump microphones is totally irrelevant; it’s
what the abuse victim hears which matters, whether Bairstow, Smith or whoever. Some
players, as in the wider population, will be better able to withstand abuse,
but that doesn’t mean that those less able to do so are weaker individuals and
consequently ‘fair game’. Bairstow’s dad committed suicide and so he must be painfully
aware of the dangers of mental illness. Perhaps this is why he has made the
comments; I don’t know. What would a bowler think if, as a result of persistent
offensive ‘banter’, the batsman subsequently retired or did himself harm? I
think this is a more dangerous activity than bowling deliveries meant to cause
physical harm, and should be banned before something very serious takes place.
Rant over! As
for the cricket in Adelaide, Australia opened up a 2-0 Ashes lead to give
England palpitations. Joe Root was right to insist there wasn’t a great deal between
the sides. Anderson and Woakes bowled well enough with the pink ball to bowl
Australia out for 138 in the second innings but, despite Craig Overton’s
debutant delight at dismissing Steve Smith first time out, the damage was done
on the first two days. The decision to recall Shaun Marsh had been widely
derided, yet his unbeaten 126 was by far the highest individual score in the
match. The fact that Overton, batting at nine and after a sequence of ducks,
top-scored in England’s first innings, must be a concern.
In the series
so far, the four-man Aussie attack of Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyons is
looking more formidable than it ought. And now England move to Perth, where
they haven’t won for forty years. The notoriously pacey WACA pitch will surely
benefit the home pacemen rather than the cannier swing and seam merchants like Anderson,
Broad, Woakes and Overton. Root’s poor record at converting fifties to
centuries is an issue but at least he scores fifty more frequently than his
colleagues. Cook and the supporting cast now need to step up a notch before the
series is lost before Father Christmas arrives on his sleigh. That’s sleigh,
not sledge. Sadly, cricket proves that you don’t need a snowy slope to
participate in that particular pursuit.
