What are the SA fans saying? LOL...

[Temujin Khaghan]

Wrong. You're trying to find justification that isn't related to the boorish behaviour of many of the Australian players. The All Blacks when dominating rugby have never been the most disliked nation. When Bradman led an Australian on both sides of WW II that barely dropped a game, he (and the side) was basically hero worshipped wherever they set foot. Lauded to the heavens in India/Ceylon when they made brief visits, New Zealand and England. The West Indian side of the 80s garnered huge support. Heck, they had more people cheering them on in some tests in England than the home team did! Roger Federer is another in that aspect. Pete Sampras too. Dominated their sport, regarded immensely by opponents and fans. Players and teams are looked at at people and role models, and the Australian sides of the last 6-7 years have been very poor in that regard. Hence why so few people like them. There isn't always a correlation between how well a team/player does and how he's regarded. Hence why someone like Pietersen is so easily disliked whether or not he averages 30 or 50, and whether England is ranked #2 or #6. Or the opposite - Tendulkar is the finest batsman of this generation, and few genuinely dislike him in the sane regard. When Taylor took Australia to the top in 1995 with that historic series win in WI, they were still a very, very well liked and regarded team and stayed that way for a good while. Again, Australia are disliked not because they're the best. They're disliked because Ponting is a petulant git and the day he leaves and the Australian side has guys like Hussey and Johnson as the senior players, they will be liked and appreciated a lot more.

i dont think fans dislike individual players who are arrogant... especially if they have some style/class added to that in their mannerisms. was maradona hated by the other countries when he was playing? i think he had a lot of fans from other nations same with lara... both these guys were pretty arrogant and short tempered in their playing days. why ponting doesnt have a great following? its a very interesting question actually. he has style, he performs, he is a winner... if anyone is saying ponting is disliked becoz of his arrogance... then i disagree. maybe it has something to do with the type of audience that watch him. I think cricket fans are more sensitive and parochial than fans of other games. with tennis i feel fans are over-sensitive with their favourite players (have you witnessed a federer-nadal fan wars? in my opinion lara-sachin wars are like disney movies next to their tarantino violence) i feel ponting would have been pretty well liked with the americans if he were to be a baseball player... but again he would have made a much hated tennis superstar. again why is lara liked inspite of him being a little hot sometimes? maybe becoz its the players of his own team on whom he always vented his anger?

[achilles]

^ Touché