Sledging has no part in the spirit of cricket - Ricky Ponting

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SOME years back the Australian team committed itself to uphold the spirit of cricket. More... Sledging has no part in the spirit of cricket Comment by Ricky Ponting October 06, 2007 SOME years back the Australian team committed itself to uphold the spirit of cricket. A lot of the current players weren't involved, but every player who comes into the team is clearly briefed on the idea and given direction on what's acceptable and what's not. We treat it very seriously and nobody comes in without understanding what we expect. It's been a very positive thing if you look back at our recent history. It's something I'm proud of. We have been one of the least reported teams in the world. Which brings us to some of the things that have been happening on the field here in India. The referee made it pretty clear to us after the game in Cochin that there were a few things that he wasn't happy with, but the umpires didn't make a report on it and there were no reports made after the game. Both teams were very close to the line and now that we have been spoken to, I would imagine we know where we stand and I expect our players to respect that. Both teams can still play aggressively, but when the Australian team speaks about playing aggressively a lot of people get the wrong idea. I don't mean talking aggressively or showing aggressive body language. That's exactly the opposite of what aggressive or positive cricket is all about. A few of the Indians have reacted very much with aggressive body language and trying to force themselves upon us, and the way some of them are playing their cricket that they have also misinterpreted what aggressive cricket means. If some of the players don't understand it, a lot of people watching the game in the stands or at home don't understand it either. It's not jumping up and down, sledging, giving people send-offs and that sort of stuff. When the Australian team talks about playing aggressively, we are committing ourselves to playing hard: there's nothing given and there's nothing asked to be given. There is a preconceived notion that we go on to the ground with the intent of getting in faces and having a few words. I don't think there has been a team meeting that I have been part of where we have spoken about doing that. We have had a lot of success playing cricket hard and tough, and if someone says something to us we cop it on the chin and get on with it, and that's the way the game should be played. As soon as anybody sees any of our players open their mouth on the field, they think it's a personal attack on somebody. There have been allegations about how some of our players spoke on the ground during the second one-day international on Tuesday. As far as I'm concerned, people and players from other teams can say what they like about how we behave on the field, but I have a lot of confidence in our players and I spend more time with them and know them better than anybody else. There is talk, yes, but it's not what a lot of people think. A lot of the time when we say something, we're trying to get inside another player's head. We might say their backlift looks funny or their feet aren't moving properly. That's all part of the game and that's not sledging to me. Sledging is swearing or making a personal attack on somebody, and I would think that 98 or 99 per cent of the talking that goes on has nothing to do with that sort of stuff. We set the bar high when we made a pledge to the spirit of cricket, but we are not perfect and we don't claim to be. We would like to set a good example for young people. We stumble sometimes, but we are trying our best in what is a very pressured and very intense situation. When you are playing sport for your country and playing sport at this level, you would expect some heat on the field. If you look at any sport, Australian football, soccer, anything, there is always some sort of dialogue between players, and that's part of sport at the highest level. But it's very important that every Australian cricketer understands what he can and cannot do. It is why we have the spirit of cricket concept. It was brought in so we would not have our blokes reported. We have our own set of rules that we can act on to keep things from getting out of hand. We try to nip bad behaviour in the bud by making it unacceptable within the group and punishable by the group. I know the die-hard cricket fan likes to see a good, aggressive contest. I know I certainly enjoy playing those games that have a little extra riding on them. If you can come out on top, they are the most enjoyable to play. If I thought it damaged the game in some way, we would have heard about it and we would have acted on it. Our team has been informed that it was right on the line and was getting close to something official being done about it. We are all learning every time we play. We make mistakes and sometimes you do something on the field and when you see it on television it looks a whole lot worse. When we were on camp in August to prepare for the long summer ahead, we discussed the slogan: "there is no truth only perception". It applies to a lot of the things we do, and I've been thinking about it a bit lately in relation to some of the things that have happened since we have been in India.

[King]

:hysterical:

[beetle]

And we all believe him...hain na?????:hysterical:

[Mandrake]

Thanks for the laughs Punter:hysterical:

[kumble_rocks]

Boy , these ex-cons have lost it !

[yoda]

:hysterical:

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[Chaos]

i think he lost his mind

[BERGKAMP]

f-off ponting you prick

[Rahul Khan]

Ponting highlights 'fake' India attitude Ricky Ponting has accused India's early-series attitude of being "fake" after their behaviour turnaround during the third ODI on Friday. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's captain, publicly complained about "harsh words" from some of the Australians during the 47-run loss, but Ponting claimed Chris Broad, the match referee, congratulated him for the way his side approached the game. "As soon as there were any words said on the field, Dhoni ran straight to the umpires and complained straight away, so they've gone from one extreme to the other in a matter of two days," Ponting said in the Sydney Morning Herald. India's players began the series wanting to take on the aggression of Australia and in the first two matches the actions of S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh were particularly animated.

Ponting was surprised by India's double standards. "If the Indians can play the sort of cricket they did play for the first couple of games and then completely turn around and go the other way in the other games, it showed us how fake, if you like, the first part of the series was as far as they're concerned." He said he had been proud of his team during the series. "It's the actions on the field that matter," he said. "There's been a lot built up and made of this series, but when the tough moments have come on the field we've stood up." Ponting also said as part of the team's spirit of cricket pledge the players tried to understand other cultures. "What they accept and what we accept are obviously poles apart sometimes," he said. "So it's important to understand that, but I thought the game [in Hyderabad] was, of the three we've played, the best one so far. And for a referee to congratulate you for what's happened on the field, that doesn't happen very often."

© Cricinfo

[dial_100]

saala char sou chuhe khake... RP chali hujjjj...

[Rahul Khan]

saala char sou chuhe khake... RP chali hujjjj...

well said...:shades_smile: he might have given this statement after reading the motivating article and statement of Lalchang Rajput...!