Right: Age cartoonist Tandberg had this to say about the sledging controversy. Found a word you're not familiar with? Double-click that word to bring up a dictionary reference to it. The dictionary page includes an audio sound file with which to actually hear the word said. |
Further implications
It seems unlikely that stronger action will be taken against sledging in first class cricket. The primary reason for this conclusion is that the practice is rarely brought to the immediate attention of the public. Sledging usually occurs between players on the field outside the hearing of the spectators.
For example, it seems likely that the threat Michael Clarke directed toward James Anderson was only put before the International Cricket Council (ICC) because it had been detected by the on-stump microphone and was then broadcast by the Channel Nine coverage team. It is accepted practice not to broadcast what the stump microphones detect and Channel Nine has since apologised for having done so.
Most players make their knowledge of sledging incidents public only after they have retired. Further, most do so in a way that suggests sledging enlivens the game. Thus it seems unlikely that action will be taken against sledging in the immediate future.
Player reports of verbal exchanges occurring during the game suggest that most umpires do not see it as a significant occurrence worthy of referring to the ICC. Until sufficient significant incidents occur that have been made known to the public any change in umpire leniency seems unlikely to develop.
Part of the difficulty faced by umpires is that it can be very difficult to discriminate between acceptable banter and intimidation and abuse. This problem is exacerbated for the umpire by the fact that he has so many other elements of the game to monitor.
Perhaps part of the solution might be to have all cricketers wear microphones and have their comments recorded. In that way all players would have to give full consideration to any comment they made as they would know that their words could be vetted by someone other than the umpire.