Sledging (cricket)
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Sledging is a term used in cricket when a player insults an opponent to disturb the latter's concentration and make a mistake. The practice applies almost entirely to cricket due to the way the game is played, with the isolated batsman being the target of the opposing bowler and fielders, in most cases, since a single mistake can be fatal to a batsman's innings. Sledging per se, is a Breaking the Flow technique of Gamesmanship. The cricketing world is divided on whether the practice amounts to poor sportsmanship or it is just good humoured banter.[citation needed]
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[edit] Origin
According to Ian Chappell,[1] the term sledging originated in Adelaide during the 1963/4 or 1964/5 Sheffield Shield season. A cricketer who swore in the presence of a woman was taken to be as subtle as a sledgehammer (meaning unsubtle) and was called "Percy" or "Sledge", from singer Percy Sledge (whose song When a Man Loves a Woman was a hit at the time). Directing insults or obsenities at the opposition team then became known as sledging.
[edit] Common sledging scenarios
[edit] Wicket-keeper to Batsman
Sledging is most frequently used by wicketkeepers to a batsman facing the bowling. The wicketkeeper usually talks to himself, but in a loud enough voice that the batsman can hear. Normally the wicketkeeper will talk about hypothetical bowling situations in which the batsman can get out. It is also common for the wicketkeeper to encourage batsmen to slog the ball, a risky action which could lead to the loss of his wicket. Another frequently used device is to congratulate the bowler on his bowling which also is considered excellent at unnerving the batsman.
[edit] Bowler to Batsman
Fast bowlers account for the majority of sledging made by bowlers since domination is vital to their success. It is rather common for many fast bowlers to make a comment on their follow-through after delivering a bouncer or after the batsman has misplayed or nicked a delivery. These are often attempted on batsmen in their early tenure. Spinners, though not very often, make comments to induce a batsman to step out of the crease or play a rash shot thereby risking the wicket. Wicket-keepers with sledging habit are more active when a spinner is bowling, as they stand much closer to the wicket.
[edit] Batsman to Bowler
Not a common scenario, a mistake being far less critical to a bowler when compared to that for a batsman. Some times employed by certain batsmen in limited over cricket, to induce the bowler into delivering short or wide, increasing chances of a boundary. Sometimes the ploy helps in destroying the rhythm of bowlers who have a history of losing their cool.
[edit] Cultural views on sledging
Because cricket is an international sport with a wide variety of cultures involved, opinions on sledging can differ considerably, leading to many cultural misunderstandings and controversies.
[edit] English
Traditionally sledging was seen as a prime example of a practice that was "not Cricket", and was generally looked down upon as un-gentlemanly. Mild forms of sledging would take place in the English game, but personal attacks were seen as unacceptable. In recent years, English cricket has adopted a more Australasian competitive streak, and sledging has become more commonplace.
[edit] Australasian
In Australian and New Zealand culture, sledging is seen as fair game, and part of masculine discourse. Adult males commonly insult each other as part of social relations, particularly in sport, with the proviso that "What's said on the pitch stays on the pitch." Two sports players may thus insult each other on a cricket field, and then have a beer afterwards and be the best of friends. In this cultural context, sledging is not seen as a big deal, and those who complain about it are derided as immature and un-masculine.
[edit] Southern African
White South African and Zimbabwean society are very similar to Australian and New Zealand society in this context, and inter team sledging can be conducted in a humorous manner. However one big difference in the Southern African context is the sensitivity to racism - racist sledges are seen as quite unacceptable, to a greater degree than many other playing nations.
[edit] West Indian
West Indian teams have been known to hold their own in witty sledges with western teams. (see below, responses from Viv Richards and Ramnaresh Sarwan). However any inkling of racial, or cultural slights can be interpreted very negatively.
[edit] South Asian
South Asian societies such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have a very strong concept of politeness and keeping face. Personal insults are seen as boorish 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 hard to accept, or handle sledging in the Australasian fashion. Many controversies have arisen out of these very different cultural prisms. In recent years however South Asian teams have become adept at sledging in their own fashion, notably Sri Lanka, which has used Australian coaches and coaching methods since the mid 1990's. (Note the below examples of wicketkeeping sledges by Kumar Sangakkara, who is renowned as being able to get under the skin of opposing batsmen.) 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.
Sourav Ganguly, captain of the Indian in the early 2000s, decided to give the Australians a taste of their own style of sledging in the 2000-2001 series. His encounters with the then Australian captain, Steve Waugh, were particularly played up both in the Indian and the Australian media, so much so that he was referred to as the bad boy of international cricket in the Australian media.
[edit] Sledging in other sports
While sledging is probably most well-known within cricket, it also happens in other sports, notably rugby, basketball the similar practice of trash talking takes place, and, it appears, within football (soccer). 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. [1]
[edit] References
- ^ The Lingo: Listening to Australian English, Graham Seal, University of New South Wales Press, 1999, ISBN 086840-680-5, page 141
