Sledging (cricket)
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Sledging is the practice in cricket of insulting opponents to break their concentration and cause them to make mistakes. Sledging is effective because the batsman stands within hearing range of the bowler and certain fielders. The aim is to intimidate or distract the batsman into making a fatal mistake and being dismissed. Sledging thus tries to "break the flow" of the batsman's game.[citation needed] There is debate in the cricketing world over whether this is poor sportsmanship or good-humoured banter.
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[edit] Origin
According to Ian Chappell,[1] "sledging" originated from Adelaide, South Australia in the 1963-1964 or 1964-1965 Sheffield Shield season. A cricketer who swore in the presence of a woman was taken to be like a sledgehammer. Thus, directing insults or obscenities at the opposition team became known as "sledging".
It is sometimes reported that the 1960s origin of the term is somehow connected to the popularity of 1960s American soul singer Percy Sledge. However, as the term "sledging" dates from 1965 at the very latest, and Percy Sledge did not issue his first recordings until mid-1966, this is demonstrably untrue. It is possible, however, that Sledge's later popularity kept the term in the public eye.
[edit] Sledging in recent times
Sledging came into the spotlight again during the Indian tour of Australia 2007/08 where Harbhajan Singh could receive a three-match ban for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds. But this was not proved and the ban on Harbhajan was lifted. Harbhajan was instead charged with a Level 2.8 offence - abuse and insult not amounting to racism - to which he pleaded guilty and was fined 50 per cent of his match fees.[2].Symonds also agreed to the fact that it was he who started the sledging by using the F- word[3]
[edit] Common sledging scenarios
There are three main types of sledging.
[edit] Wicket-keeper to batsman
Wicketkeepers frequently sledge batsmen, who must face the bowler. The wicketkeeper usually seemingly talks to himself, but with a voice loud enough for the batsman to hear. Frequently the wicketkeeper intimidates the batsman with comments about the bowling, sometimes by congratulating the bowler, a famous example of this was Australian wicket-keepers Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy repeatedly shouting "Bowling, Shane" after many of Shane Warne's deliveries throughout his career. Sometimes the wicketkeeper or slip fielders encourage the batsman to "slog" the ball, risking being bowled out, stumped, or caught making a rash stroke. For example, during the West Indies tour of England in 2004, Andrew Flintoff sledged the tail-ender Tino Best by saying "Mind the windows, Tino!" Tino was stumped next ball trying to hoist the ball into the stands.
[edit] Bowler to batsman
Fast bowlers constitute most sledge bowlers, because sledging works most effectually for their style of bowling: their fast run-up means that they tend to continue to travel towards the batsman after delivering the ball, and often finish their follow-through close to the batsman. Bowlers are particularly likely to pass comment after a "bouncer", or a ball misplayed by the batsman. The wicketkeeper is likely to be some distance behind the stumps, away from the batsman, for fast bowlers, putting them in a poorer position for sledging. Spinners occasionally try to encourage the batsman to step out of his crease, or play a rash shot, thus risking his wicket. When the spinner is bowling, wicket keepers, who are closer to the wicket for this kind of bowler, often sledge the batsman from behind the stumps.[citation needed]
[edit] Batsman to bowler
Although a rare scenario, the batsman sometimes sledges the bowler, whose mistakes are less critical than those committed by the batsman. Javed Miandad of Pakistan was one such batsman who used to constantly chirp around, forcing the bowler to make a mistake. Sledging can cause the bowler to deliver a short or wide ball, offering the batsman an increased chance of hitting a boundary shot; in addition, sledging can sometimes break the bowler's rhythm.[citation needed]
[edit] Cultural views on sledging
Because cricket is an international sport, opinions on sledging can differ considerably, leading to many cultural misunderstandings and controversies.
[edit] England
Sledging was traditionally seen as a prime example of a practice that was "not cricket" (that is, not fair play), and was generally deemed unsporting. Mild forms of sledging occurred in the English game, but personal attacks were seen as unacceptable. In recent years, English cricket has adopted a more Australian competitive streak, and sledging has become more common.[citation needed] Sledging in English club and village cricket is also common; it ranges from simple questioning of the batsman's skill to doubtful comments about his parentage, his sexuality, or the appearance of his genitals.[citation needed]
[edit] Australia
In Australia, sledging is seen as fair game and part of masculine discourse[citation needed]. Adult males commonly insult each other as part of social relations, particularly in sport; they believe that "What's said on the pitch stays on the pitch". In this cultural context, sledging is not seen as a negative issue. However issues of race are frowned upon (see Second Test, 2007-08 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as are "serious" comments towards family members such as children or wives.
[edit] South Africa
The white South African and Zimbabwean societies are very similar to Australian and New Zealand society, because players sledge each other humorously. However, one big difference in the Southern African context is the sensitivity to racism — racist sledges are deemed unacceptable to a far greater degree than in other nations, though racism is of course not permitted at all in any of the cricketing nations.[citation needed]
[edit] West Indies
West Indian teams sometimes use witty sledges on western teams; however, racial or cultural slights are interpreted very negatively.[citation needed]
[edit] South Asia
South Asian societies—such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh— have a very strong concept of politeness[citation needed] and keeping face. Personal insults are seen as unacceptable and uneducated. When cricket was first introduced to the westernised elites of South Asian society, these groups adopted the concepts of fair play in the traditional English sense when playing cricket. Players raised in such a cricketing subculture consequently found it difficult to accept sledging in the Australasian fashion. Controversies have risen out of these differing cultural mores.[citation needed]
In recent years, however, South Asian teams have become adept at sledging in their own fashion. One notable example is Sri Lanka's team, which has used Australian coaches and coaching methods since the mid-1990s. Western commentators have often challenged South Asian teams on their supposed claims of sledging innocence, pointing at the common on-field use of Hindi and Urdu phrases that neither other players nor umpires can understand.[citation needed]
Sourav Ganguly, captain of the Indian team in the early 2000s, used the Australian style of sledging on the Australians in the 2000-2001 series. His encounters with the Australian captain, Steve Waugh, were played up in both the Indian and the Australian media to such an extent that Ganguly was called the "bad boy of international cricket" in the Australian media.[citation needed]
[edit] Sledging in other sports
Although sledging is most well-known within cricket, it also happens in other sports, notably rugby, basketball (in which the similar practice of trash talking takes place), and football. The Zidane incident at the final of the 2006 World Cup appears to rival the instances within cricket, but on an even bigger stage. Baseball also offers opportunities for similar comments between batter and catcher: Rod Marsh's famous "How's your wife and my kids?" to Ian Botham was used in the 1989 US baseball movie Major League as just such a remark. [4]
[edit] References
- ^ The Lingo: Listening to Australian English, Graham Seal, University of New South Wales Press, 1999, ISBN 086840-680-5, page 141
- ^ Cricinfo - Harbhajan racism charge not proven - Hansen
- ^ >
- ^ Major League (1989) - Memorable quotes
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