Date:22/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/22/stories/2008032252391900.htm

Sport - Cricket

Sledging set to be banned

New Delhi: Sledging is set to be banned by cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), which has been prodded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take tough action to curb unsporting behaviour on the field.

In the backdrop of an acrimonious India-Australia series, the BCCI has been pressing for tougher laws to deal with sledging. The matter is before the ICC.

The BCCI President, Sharad Pawar, said here on Friday that the Board had raised the issue in ICC’s Executive Board Meeting in Dubai this weekend and would pursue the matter further when it meets for its Annual General Meeting in June.

“The process is on to get a ban on sledging and it would be discussed again in the June meeting,” he said.

Since the war of words between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh in the acrimonious Sydney Test snowballed into a major crisis threatening to polarise the cricket World, India has been seeking a ban on sledging.

Proper behaviour

Making it clear that the Board would do everything to stamp out the menace, Pawar revealed that the Indian players, especially the bunch of volatile youngsters, have been asked to learn from the seniors and mind their on-field behaviour.

“We have told our players they have to behave properly. I can’t name certain countries, for we need to keep good relation with them but often a group of players from those teams take a conscious decision to target a particular Indian player to demoralise him,” he said. “It’s a strategy and sometimes our players become victim of it and react. But we ask them ‘have you heard complaint about Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Kumble?’ They have set examples for World cricket how to behave on and off the field,” Pawar said.

Asked what was the BCCI’s recommendation to the ICC to stop sledging, Pawar said “we have to be very, very harsh and tough, irrespective of the player and that means even our players. Sportsman spirit has to be maintained and we have to take action. “We have told them enough is enough. Erring once is understandable but you can’t go on doing it.”

On empowering on-field umpires, Pawar said the process was on and the ICC was also contemplating introducing a fourth umpire to assist the on-field umpires. — PTI