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Cricket out of control?

From the Press box by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Has the time come to slip a red and a yellow card into the cricket umpires' pockets?

Provocation seems to be the name of the game at today's level of international cricket and the International Cricket Council (ICC) match referees whom many think are enjoying a period of luxury have been kept rather busy by bad player behaviour on the field.

The on-going series between Pakistan and South Africa is a case in point where so far three South African and two Pakistani players have been brought to book with heavy fines and bans imposed on them for their conduct on the field.

By arming the umpire with a card like in soccer will merely send a message to the cricketer that there is provision for them to be booked. Such measures isn't what we would like in a sport once considered the gentleman's game, but the game must move on and if it cannot self-regulate, authority must be imposed.

In that aspect Cricket Australia's tough stand against sledging is most welcome. Not only in cricket is Australia a major force, but in other sports as well. For the millions who view them on television and from the point of view of the sponsors, their behaviour in public and to create the right image is of utmost importance. Their sportsmen have done a fantastic job in demonstrating their superiority on the world stage, but Australians by and large don't have the same respect where player-behaviour is concerned.

That is why the tough stance taken against sledging, especially by a country like Australia where it is universally accepted to have originated, is a good sign. The new set of conduct guidelines drawn by the Australian players themselves gives an indication how effectively and deeply Cricket Australia's message to cut out sledging has gone down.

It is the players themselves who created a situation where they came down hard on opponents and displayed aggression openly to get a psychological advantage over their opponents. And it is these very same people who have led to the creation of a fairly hard code of conduct. Having established such a code and in a sense, demanded standards of behaviour from their players, Australia is certain to demand the same from others.

Steve Waugh's top-ranked Test team has been heavily criticized in recent years for their persistent on-field sledging.

They have been stung by the comments made against them especially during the height of the McGrath-Sarwan confrontation in the Caribbean early this year. Such incidents in future will demand the Australian player having to explain his actions to his team mates. "We'll try to work it out among ourselves to start with," was Australian Test captain Steve Waugh's reaction to the new standards of player-behaviour, although Australian one-day captain Ricky Ponting had a totally different view saying that he would continue to take the verbal fight to opponents.

Three-year ban

Player behaviour on the field has reached such low levels that on Wednesday England's one-day all-rounder Shaun Udal who appeared for his country in 10 internationals was banned from playing league cricket for his club side Camberley in the Surrey championships for three years. He was found guilty of "physical violence on and threats to an opposition player."

The incident which led to the ban occurred when Camberley played Cranleigh and an altercation took place between Udal and Cranleigh's Australian leg-spinner Alex Wyatt. Udal, who was batting at the time and Wyatt, exchanged words which were followed by an altercation between the pair who had to be separated by members of the fielding side.

With television playing a huge role in cricket coverage worldwide, virtually every action on the field is available to the viewer and this includes school kids who try to emulate their heroes from what they see on the screen.

Such actions have a huge impact on the youngsters and it is pertinent to point out here that it has certainly spread to the junior levels of our cricket. There have been certain instances during matches where sledging has taken place.

The Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association and Sri Lanka Cricket will need to take a firm stand on sledging at junior level as much as they need to against bent-arm bowling actions. In both instances the umpires have an important role to play if this menace is to be eradicated.

Richards for two teams

At a time when there is certain reservations being made over the appointment of two national captains for cricket, West Indies chairman of selectors Viv Richards has called on the West Indies Cricket Board to pick different sides for Tests and one-dayers to prevent players from burning out.

Richards has cited that as the international calendar becomes more and more demanding, it is placing a heavy burden on the players and fears a burn-out as the West Indies are now in the process of rebuilding their side after taking a dip to the bottom of international cricket from the dizzy heights of the seventies and eighties.

Richards who was a part of that West Indian dominance is keen to get them back into the fold where they once dominated world cricket. And Richards has also warned of player behaviour both on and off the field where mannerisms, attitudes, commitment and scoring runs are a necessity to make a successful team.

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