“It’s ridiculous to allow that much chatter to occur on the field,” Ian Chappell writes in a column on the Wide World of Sports website. “The next time I hear someone say – and I’m hearing it all the time from players, I’m hearing it from umpires and I’m hearing it from administrators – that it’s part of the game I’ll tell them that it what’s gone on to date is not part of the game and never should be.”
The former Australia skipper goes on to make an impassioned plea – stop the talk. He does not single out the Indians or the Aussies but he does say that if things are allowed to continue unhindered, we are heading for trouble.
“There were a few things said when I was playing, but they were heat of the moment things,” he further adds. “At the moment teams talk about it like a planned tactic. “Oh, this guy, we can upset him’. Now that’s total rubbish.”
At a certain level, it makes sense. You want the focus to remain on the game but then if this strictly-within-limits chatter adds an edge to the game… is it all that bad?
Some coaches don’t like it. Some commentators don’t either. Some former players like to steer clear too. There will always be a divided house. But ask the fan and what is the answer you are likely to get?
‘Can it ever really be stopped?’
We spoke to a few and here’s what they said:
Jatin: “For so long, we have spoken about having no characters in the game. Now, we have someone slightly passionate and we seem to have a problem with that too.”
Darshan: “Can it ever really be stopped? It’s like asking the players to have no emotions. Ian Chappell might be saying that they would never plan it but then haven’t Glenn McGrath and Co said that they would decide not to sledge Lara. Planning not to sledge is planning too.”
Gautam: “What’s the worst that can really happen? If they go overboard then the ICC will punish them. The umpire can hear what it happening. As things stand, the chatter is making it fun to watch. It shows that you will be pushed in every way possible – mental and physical.”
Trash talk – as long as it stays within certain limits – is fine. In fact, in adds an edge to what can otherwise be a pretty dull game. So why does Chappell seem to be getting all preachy about it? It wasn’t like the teams under him didn’t sledge. It wasn’t even like teams under Michael Clarke didn’t sledge. Nor did the teams under Ricky Ponting abstain. Neither did the teams under Steve Waugh. It’s pretty much an Australian institute.
Even if you play a game of galli cricket, there always is some chatter around and as long as the players aren’t complaining, we shouldn’t either.
Why complain now?
Furthermore, Chappell didn’t seem to have a problem when Steve Smith arrived in India and declared that his teammates can sledge whoever they want. If that was a declaration of war, then it is a war that they’ve got. The Aussies – Chappell included – shouldn’t complain now.
The ICC has relevant codes of behaviour as to what constitutes behaviour that crosses the line. If the umpires haven’t stepped in, they haven’t done so for a reason.
There is also the other angle to it – it actually works. David Warner gets the full lip treatment when he comes out to bat. Virat Kohli even opens the attack with R Ashwin and not a second is lost before the left-hander is reminded of his record against the off-spinner. They keep talking… disturbing him… until he falters. Then, they save it all for his next stint in the middle.
KL Rahul and Kohli have copped a lot of it too. To their credit, they haven’t lost their cool even if they have lost their wickets sometimes. And that’s acceptable. When nothing much is happening, there’s nothing like some chatter to stir the pot. Ian Chappell knows that as does every cricketer who has played the game.
Of course, there are some who stand up to the ‘mental disintegration’ better than most. But still, the reason it exists is because it is a viable tactic. And that is what it comes down to. Players don’t sledge because they don’t like the opposition… they sledge because they think it helps them win.
If things get too hot, you always have the cop out option – you can always go complain to the umpire or the media. But until that happens, it’s best if umpires give players a free hand. Mostly because it makes for a better spectacle and then again, because it is that vital dose of fun that Test cricket sometimes misses so badly.
And whether you like it or not, at the end of the day – you can play hard yet fair and frankly, isn’t that something Chappell should be worried about more.
