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From the Press box by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Australia maybe the best cricket team in the world but recent events has made them poor role models as far as player-behaviour goes. Recent uttering by Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland at a business lunch shows how damaging and to what extent the behaviour of the Australian cricket team has affected their popularity and public image.

Sutherland went on record saying that the Australian team was poor role models and parents didn't want their kids to emulate them. But what was more alarming in his speech was his revelation that the sponsors had contacted him to say their brands were suffering because of the backlash the team had received from the public over its behaviour, especially on the recently concluded tour to the West Indies.

What stands out strongly against Australia is the confrontation between fast bowler Glenn McGrath and West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan in the Antigua Test, which West Indies won. McGrath ended up by finally apologizing to Sarwan, but the incident watched by thousands on TV had left a black mark on Australian player behaviour and significant implications for the game in the country.

Further, fuel was added to the fire when former Indian 'great' Sunil Gavaskar said that sportsmanship had gone for a six due to the modern world of commercialization of the game and the advent of satellite television and the motto of winning at all costs. Gavaskar came down hard on sledging, something which the Australians have been given credit for inventing on the field of play to upset their opponents and gain a psychological advantage.

It started during the reign of Ian Chappell, one of Australia's most successful captains. Chappell encouraged sledging and it has been followed by subsequent captains ever since, down to the present captain Steve Waugh.

Although it has made them a successful team, the Australian style of playing cricket has not gone down very well with most of their opponents and especially those from the subcontinent. Viv Richards, the West Indies batting maestro who played against Chappell and had many confrontations with his fast bowlers, has this to say in his autobiography: "The infamous art of sledging comes in many varieties, ranging from the vile and abusive in certain parts of Australia to clever repartee which can have everyone within earshot rolling on the ground with laughter.

"Confront Dennis Lillee for instance, and he is such a competitor that he just seems to grow bigger. In those fierce battles of the Packer era, Dennis Lillee was always in my face. It became too much and when he roared for a leg before wicket I ran the single - straight through him.

He didn't like that too much and even whinged to the umpire saying I was trying to knock him over. I was. "There was bad blood between us in Perth when he kicked Javed Miandad. I deliberately tried to work Dennis up to try and make him make the same mistake again, but this time with me. But sadly, he never bit. These Australian fast bowlers are so aggressive it was as though they wanted to fight and I honestly wanted to fight him.

"There were others I would gladly have fought for example Craig McDermott and people like him because of their foul mouths. I had a burning desire to shut them. I was becoming increasingly frustrated at the things that were being said, but I had began to realise that while a few of the Aussies were genuinely tough, those with the dirtiest mouths and who behaved in the most aggressive fashion were not always what they seemed.

"Someone I've never played against but who seems to be cut from the same cloth is Glenn McGrath. I saw him in Antigua when he did what managers do in American baseball, kicking the dust at umpires, spitting in the vicinity of an opponent and trying to impede the batsmen when they were trying to take a quick single. He is undoubtedly a great bowler for his era but if he doesn't curb these silly little antics and control himself and his attitude, one day he will meet up with the wrong individual.

"If you want tough, look at the Australian rugby and Aussies Rules players, they are the guys who really walk the walk down under. Some Australian cricketers try to follow that machismo line when they are not really that hard. Talking filth made them feel tough."

For Indian captain Sourav Ganguly to play down the issue of sledging and say it is part of modern-day cricket is somewhat playing to the Australian gallery. Ganguly's men are due to make a four-Test tour to Australia later this year and if he thinks the Aussies are going to take his comments with a pinch of salt he is sadly mistaken. Knowing the weakness of subcontinent teams and how timid they are, Australia will not stop short of pulling out all stops to ensure that India don't get anywhere close to winning. Sledging is part of that ploy.

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