TRUNK CALL

Yesterday I watched the dead rubber ODI between Australia and the Shrees at the Sing Song Sports Club in Columbo ... or Galle ... or where-ever.

It was a casual affair, and for a while the cameras focussed on Shane Warne and Justin Langer practising in the nets outside the ground.

At one point while batting, Langer hopped down the wicket to a local "net bowler" ... took a big swing ... missed ... and were there a keeper, he would have been stumped by a mile.

Geoff "Henry" Lawson in the commentary box said something along the lines of:

"Ooh yes. Nice offy. And the bowler's given him a send off! Ha ha! On your bike, Justin!"

Co-commentator Bruce "Roo" Yardley then chipped in with a yarn from a grade cricket match at Lilac Hill Park in Perth.

Seems a batsman in the match was from somewhere on the subcontinent. Roo didn't specify which country, but he did surmise that the batsman's name might have been John Smith ... or something equally vanilla for a player from that neck of the woods.

Henry responded that "Smith" didn't seem a very Muslim sounding name and they both shared a chuckle.

I digress, but I'm not sure there'd be too many Hindus or Bhuddists grateful for Henry's denominational ommisions. Not to mention the odd cantankerous Sikh or Tamil Tiger.

Like me, Roo then gets to the point:

"When John Smith was dismissed one of the fieldsmen yelled: 'On your elephant, mate!' and we all fell about laughing."

Oblivious to what a professional outragist might construe as an insult - was Arjuna Ranatunga listening -both commentators shared another chuckle and blithely returned to the dead rubber in the middle. I think Bevan had been dismissed.

All in all, theirs was a trivial reaction to what is now considered racial sledging.

To my mind though - and I make no excuses one way or the other - their casual levity highlights a particular problem Australian cricketers face when playing sport against other cultures.

Aussie cricketers at ALL levels enjoy sledging - I know I did - and by and large, they don't mean any harm by it. Hence when they do run off at the mouth, don't consider they're doing anything much wrong.

In fact, exceptions not with standing, it's my experience that if there's someone playing on the other side who's well liked and respected they'll receive a healthy dose of sledge. And too often forgotten, 99% of the time it's good natured anyway. On the flip side, if the opponent is someone who doesn't command affection or respect, bugger all is said to them. They're snubbed.

Never the less, given we're living in "enlightened" times, I wonder if the big Roo will be asked to explain himself. Or at least be asked to apologise to John Smith. Or failing that, Kamahl.

PS: Dean Jones is an awful commentator.

Comments

[Richard T]

Haven't heard Bruce Yardley commentate much, but what I've heard in the ODI's is pretty damn good. Bring on the test matches! Compulsory viewing in prime time from 8th March.

Dean Jones is on some sort of drugs, ie the ones that make you talk complete nonsense very excitedly & very quickly.

[Tony.T]

Read Geoff McLure's Sporting Life in The Age. Bloody Deano gets a good write up. Some people are easily amused.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/29/1077989433099.html

[Big Ramifications]

I went to a school where sledging was de rigeur.

It was just a one giant 8:20am - 3:20pm sledge fest. Even teachers would sledge students and other teachers.

A few years after graduating, a fella from Victoria joined our "old boys" 7th grade cricket team.

One day, our team FIGJAM got whacked for 6 by a bit of a rabbit. It went straight over the Victorian guy's head, and he heard much laffing and sledging as he went to retrieve it.

"Fair enough" he thought. It is right for the opposition side to have a go when their number 11 tonks our bloke out of the park.

He told me afterwards that he was got a bit of a shock when he realised it was our team SLEDGING OUR OWN BLOKE.

Here endeth my story.

[Adsy]

Yeah I agree Bruce Yardley is not a bad commentator at all. A bit in the Kerry O'Keeffe mould with lashings of dry wit, but a lot more sensible I think! I still laugh when I recall Kerry's observation on ABC radio during this summer past that Hawkeye must have been developed by a 'first year art student with the munchies' who must have been under the influence of some type of drug as the ball was always going on to hit the stumps no matter where it was pitched. This was followed by a 'yeeeehah' call to show he thought the system was made by a cowboy! Poor old Harsha Boghle didn't know what to say!! You had to hear it anyway to get the full effect....

I also agree, Deano is pretty ordinary. You almost wait for him to say "Well if I was out there I would have smashed this bowling attack" Also an interesting comment from Sanjay Manjrekar about No.9 bat Nuwan Zoysa the other night also. He flogged another Brett Lee medium pace half tracker over the boundary and poor old Sanjay got a bit carried away knowing the Sri Lankans had it in the bag and came up with this beauty:

"Now ladies and gentlemen, that is the shot of a CHAMPION!"

Hmmm... I doubt even Zoysa's greatest followers would put him in that bracket...

[Scott Wickstein]

Doncha Love Foxtel?

Dean Jones? Awful? I never thought you'd say it but yes he's not good.

On a more serious note, you point about sledging is valid. It certainly applies to the teams I've played in.

[Brett Pee]

Come on- Jonesy is not all THAT bad! I've definitely heard worse commo's than the jones boy. He's.... errrrrr....excitable, i think the word is.

Sledging was de rigeur at his school? Sorry, forgotten my French already but it was common practice at my school!! A "friendly" comment passed to a couple of particularly adhesive openers from myself and 2nd slip saw both of them depart next over taking a swipe and the bastards copped for 78 all out!! Job done. We still lost though.

Sledging, or 'mental disintergration' (whatever that means) possibly has more place on the Test arena than Park cricket though. If you can't handle comments where the pressure is really tops then i'd say it's acceptable in tests, where thing could just run along and become a piece of cake.

[Tony.T]

Big - Sledging your own is the best part.

Ads - Kerry's a gun, but I'm not yet sold on Roo. Deano's way too excitable.

Wicky - "I never thought you'd say..." Why not? I know a mug when I see one. Deano's a hack!

Brett - Most sledging is just the fielders talking to each other so the the batsman can hear it. And it's mostly comments about the batsman's technique.

And I've played in some rugged leagues and NEVER once heard anything racial.

[Brett Pee]

The Sri's are promising to match us sledge for sledge in this series, may'be even better us.

[Tony.T]

Watch 'em whine if WE sledge THEM.

[Brett Pee]

Gonna be a great series....classic of it's kind. Brett is fighting to be fit, otherwise Williams steps across.We've gotta hit the blocks hard and take, and keep, the iniative from the start.

[Tony.T]

I see the Shrees are already doctoring the pitches.

[Brett Pee]

Christ, what's going on with that wicket for the 1st test?? I've heard of pitches taking turn towards the end of the day, but from the 1st bloody ball!! We're up against it big time, Murali reckons we're playing into his hands by attacking, but Lehmann applied himself ( bloody wogs!!) The Warnie v Cheat competition commences!!!