Gilo at the Test - day four
By Ashley Giles, Warwickshire and England spin bowler
Things got heated out there after lunch when Sree Santh bowled a beamer at Kevin Pietersen.
I don’t think it was intentional at all. What probably got the situation going was how aggressive the India paceman was before that incident.
Kevin might have thought there was something in it but there’s still a great deal of respect between the teams.
There’s no harm done by a little bit of stuff going on out there as long as it doesn’t get physical.
Bat-waving (Zaheer Khan at Pietersen) and shoulder-barging (Santh to Michael Vaughan) are unacceptable because it becomes more than mental disintegration and chirping at that point.
After that beamer incident Kevin appeared to lose his concentration and as a batsman you’re always up against it because it only takes one ball to get you out if you become a bit confrontational.
Whether you think that is what got you out or not it will appear like that.
This has all happened while England are fighting a rearguard action. I've been part of a couple of those in my time and it's a pretty tense time in the dressing room.
You know you're up against the ropes and it will be quite quiet in there. The next batsman in is in deep thought about how they will accumulate a score.
They will be watching what the bowler's doing and whether they can spot something in the grip of bowler - anything that will help out there.
As a team you have to break each session down into smaller blocks: two or three overs at a time or 10 or 20 runs.
It all depends on what the two batsmen out there feel comfortable with and communication between them is crucial.
It might come down to the guys at the tail-end but so far they haven’t really looked capable of doing that.
if only we had super gilo out there to get us a double ton lol
Complain about this postashley,
Complain about this postas usual , you are correct. bat waving zaheer khan though? why did he do that? was it because pieterson said something? never!!guess , just like you, i prefer proper cricket..u know the type where bowlers bowl 3 ft outside leg stump etc!! wish u well and look forward to your return..
Excellent, reasoned stuff from Gilo. Can we hear more from him please?
Complain about this postAlthough accurate that's not exactly the most romantic description of cricket that I've heard, and I would have expected more from someone who has a lot of stories to tell.
Sorry.
Complain about this postAshley,
How much effort did you and do other 'tail-enders' put into practising their batting compared to bowling?
Mark
Complain about this postI totally agree with Gilo - it is disappointing to see Sree resort to shoulder barging. At the same time I think KP is just getting a dose of his medicine after his run-in with Zaheer yesterday.
I think England will be able to save this test match. They have shown good ability today under immense pressure. All in all a good fighting series so far.
Complain about this postPietersen will no doubt deny the beamer had anything to do with his dismissal but the shots he played after it tell a different story.
Lets hope MV can finally get that elusive 200, wouldnt be a bad time for it methinks!
Complain about this postAm bemused by Ashley's comment that, 'There’s no harm done ... as long as it doesn’t get physical.'
There's not much more 'physical' than a beamer!
I'm sure it wasn't intentional; merely alluding to the paradox in Ashley's blog!!
Complain about this postIt's cricket!!! The Aussies have been doing it for years and nobody has batted an eyelid. At the top level it's a man's game!!! Yes the ball hurts if it hit's you but if you don't ike it don't play. Any way Gilo do you remember the bowl out at Letchworth last year for your benefit day!!! I was with the Northern Heckler when you missed the stumps! Great day. What day is it this year and who for?
Complain about this postAm bemused by Ashley's comment that, 'There’s no harm done ... as long as it doesn’t get physical.'
There's not much more 'physical' than a beamer!
I'm sure it wasn't intentional; merely alluding to the paradox in Ashley's blog!!
Complain about this postIn Regards to the issue of Walking and the spirit of the game ,
I was involved this weekend in a game where our 14 YEAR OLD batsman in only his 2nd game for Robertsbridge 2nd East sussex Div 5 Edged a ball to the Keeper !! However thats where the fun started the Umpire ( one of our players as is always the case in this standard of village Cricket ) Did not hear the contact and did not give him out . the Batsman stayed awaiting the umpires vertict only to be screamed at verbally abused in his face by the opositions 40 year old keeper and slips until the young lad finally walked nearly reducing the lad to tears ..
As you can imagine all hell broke loose .
I would be interested to here your view as I feel if the batsman was 30 years + he would have probably would have walked .
So where is the spirit of the game !! in this situation
I think teachers and coaches have a duty to teach kids when they first pick up a bat to play / ball fair in the spirit of the game .
Also To remind all players what ever the level we play the SPIRIT of cricket !! and to bully a 14 year old lad to tears is NOT the way forward ..
Complain about this postExcellent piece Gilo.
Complain about this postThe match is really turning into a classic. MV has played a true "captain's innings" and the English batsman are showing tremendous fight. As an Indian supporter, to me its reminiscent of the huge rearguard action by the Indian batters in Calcutta against the Aussies a few years ago.
Lets hope a few unpleasant incidents don't take the shine off an excellent game!
Love your coverage on TMS!
Ashley Giles,
Not sure why u r moaning abt....When you did same thing agaist Aussie that was OK. Indians never start these types of thing..English player started it.
Look at West indies tour what English player did..Engish player
Complain about this postdon't know how to loose.
I always have been and will be against any verbal onslaught and what these days the unethical and 'uncricket like' behavious is politely referred to as 'mental disintegration' or 'chirping'. 'Sledging' I have always felt, shouldnt be a part of this gentlemen's game at all.
If this kind of behaviour is acceptable, then who sets the rules and where do you draw the line ? If one's mother tongue is English, he will sledge in that manner and what if someone doesnt speak or understand the language that well, he will bring into his own, the ways and methods he sees fit to insult and abuse, since this is what he would have felt, when on the receiving end, perhaps by not being able to completely comprehend the remark made from the opposition. Some Indian players, quite a few Pakistani players and a fair number of Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan players do not have a handle on the nuances of the English language and any comment on the playing field can be interpreted in the mood the player is in.
I think the current problem is opposition not accepting that players from India are no longer taking it lying down, perhaps some Indian cricketers are no longer embarrassed at their lack of proper understanding of the language and will dish out in the manner they see fit. If you deviate from the original clean game of cricket, who is to say , what rules apply and in what manner one should sledge ? After all the purpose of 'disturbing' the player is acheived, so does the end justify the means. Sledging might have creeped well into this game, but its certainly not too late to restore back the game's dignity, it does boil down to a few bad apples in each team. Heavy fines and bans have done wonders to a players upbringing and mannerism before.
Complain about this postwell giles am not really agreed with you. as a professional cricketer- beamers and sledging should not affect your game
Complain about this postcricket is not only about physics but also strong mentality
So Kahn standing 10 feet away from Pieterson and waving his bat is more dangerous than a Santh beamer?
Complain about this posterr.. and what about the "little sledging" done by the English fielders when India was Batting? Wonder what KP said to get Zaheer frustrated.
Double standards Giles ? In the end you get what you give.
Complain about this postSree should be disciplined. Totally unsporting behaviour. In Soccer, he'd be "red carded." Andrew, Boston, USA
Complain about this postAlright pal... u start up the whole thing and now you say this is unacceptable and that is unacceptable...... actually some actions are unaccpetable by some and not others.... so once u deviate from the Gentlemanly behavior on the ground there is no line drawn between whats acceptable and whats not..... there is absolutely nothing wrong with waving the bat since zaheer wasnt threatening to hit KP..... and sreesanth has a right to walk back to his run up and there is nothing wrong with shoulder barging.... since it is the english players who started playing the ugly game.... they should know that others can do that better than them...and not to mention the better cricket.
Complain about this postGilo, while your critique of the demarcation between acceptable sledging and unacceptable behaviour is natural, but rather incomplete.
Rewind back to Zidane's headbutt - there will be camps on either side, but what *is* clear is that neither could be exonerated.
Sree's sledging is crude, unsophisticated, and was quite *visible*.
Zaheer's bat waving? Nothing more spectacular than the bowler pretending to take a shy at the stumps. Batsmen have a right to sledge back too !
Till one knows what was really said - or what really happened, it's not possible to pass a verdict on unacceptable and acceptable.
Indians get punished for unsophistication - that includes the art of appealing.
Complain about this postJust do a youtube search for Sreesanth and Andre Nel. He does get a little overexcited for such a little fella....
Complain about this postI really want to know when Gilo will be back and I muust agree with you because I think that you are correct with the statement that you have made
ps i met you in droitwich high street
Complain about this postWell when simon jones threw a ball at hayden (you can watch on u tube)....was that ok...when anderson shouldered to one of the west indies player in the last series...(he was fined for that if i m not wrong)...was that ok.....
Complain about this postcome on guyz lets stop talking abt sledging n stuff and watch the game
i guess, indians wanted to play the game hard too! wasnt someone offering suggestions to dinesh karthik when he was being constantly heckled by prior ? and whatever happened to the english team when the aussies came down hard on them ? it stinks and reeks of double standards. if both parties take it in their stride fine. but if it comes to complaining... check if your own house is in order!
Complain about this postEngland aree just bitter cos they started the sledging and then can't take it when it's given back.
Complain about this postAlso it's backfired as it's fired us up as I watch us win and go 1-0 up in the series.
Also no comment on Englands excessive appealing in this test.
And the commentators on Sky saying the balls been swinging about a lot today. I see no difference from any other day and we still got 481.
enough jargon thank you - think of your new lisyeners and explain beamer please.
Complain about this postDAVID HASTINGS
Priors been mimicking the indian accent aswell. I think thats getting a little personal.
Complain about this postYes, it not not acceptable when bat-waving or shoulder-barging is done by mere Indians, but when it is the opponent teams, anything would be fine, right? For how long?
Come down from your self-assumed pedestal a bit and condemn all the trash talk for a change. Remember a certain pedestrian player named Prior and his pigmy-brain slurrs? Nope, that just shows how tough you fight. Give us a break!
Be fair, and you will be taken seriously. Condemn all trash talk, sledging, bullying, plus shoulder-barging as well, and it will help restore this game to a better one for all of us.
Complain about this postMr.Giles,
Having come off from the overheated environs of a passionate board at 606, it is refreshing to hear the views of one who has been in the thick of it all. For us armchair pros, it is a rare boon.
Complain about this postGood stuff Gilo.
But the behaviour of our English gentleman like cricketers has been disgraceful, especially their attitude towards the touring Indians. Pietersen and Prior should be ashamed of themselves, but hats off to Vaughan, who lit Trent Bridge alive today with a great innings. He handled the pressure and childish behaviour from Sreesanth very well. The umpiring has been shocking in this test match, the majority against the Indians. Sachin and Ganguly were clearly not out and Pietersen and Collingwood were out but not given, considering this the Indians controlled themselves and behaved like true gentlemen.
Complain about this postCongrats to India who will go on to win this test, i hope England can come back to win at the Oval.
As my pops used to say "What you sow, so shall you reap"
Complain about this postSomebody needs to have a word with Pieterson about the best way to handle a beamer when you're a couple of hundred runs behind.
Next time he should duck into it (assuming he is wearing a proper helmet), go down like a ton of bricks and stay down. Have the physio come out and spend 10 minutes helping him get back on his feet. Then when the bowler is a couple strides away from releasing the next ball, drop down in a faint for another couple of minutes.
Repeat as appropriate.
Sreethan is a sufficiently experienced international bowler for these incidents (the no ball with his foot a yard the wrong side of the crease was the other incident) not to be accidental. That makes them a form of cheating. Pieterson should have been ready to respond likewise.
Complain about this postI think you are exaggerating Indian bowlers' aggressive gestures. If its done by Aussie you folks say its part of cricket, it brings in more fun in the game blah blah blah. However when you are dished out the same - especially from an Indian - you are out there with rule books. Clear double standards.
Complain about this postI have loved cricket all my life thats 54 years.But
Complain about this postI am finding myself turning the radio off or not reading about it because I am sick and fed up of these CHILDISH antics by these so called
SPORTSMEN.Cricket is a game of SKILL or it used to be.Now the main skill you need is to be able to put the batsmen off by talking or
sledging.As far as I am concerned this is cheating.If you have to resort to talking to the batsman to put him off so as to get him out then you are a CHEAT.It is about time that the
authorities plus the media and the TV and radio
commentators stopped saying "Its all part of the game".Absolute rubbish.As for these pathetic
bowlers who after a ball come down and either glare or say something to the batsmen GROW UP.As for barging into a batsmen then he should
be told to leave the field.CHILDREN COPY THESE
PATHETIC ANTICS.Cricket is in danger of becoming as boorish as football which is a sport
I have long stopped watching.
I dont mind the sledging and to be honest, I dont think the players do. Lets be honest, the players aren't complaining about it, its everyone else. Pietersen was just protesting his innocence and even Ganguly has said it was just banter. The antics of some of the bowlers were just petty more than malicious (though i don't care whats gone on, your apologise immediately if a beamer is bowled)
I think both teams will just accept their punishments (if any) and carry on
Complain about this postha ha, the "GREAT" kevin pietersen, the match winning batsman that wins england games, compared to sir viv richards...being put off by a single ball by an indian bowler. kevin pietersen is nothing, he is a regular batsman, if he was world class, this wouldn't of bothered him.
And as for the whole of the cricketing world slagging off sachin tendulkar, he is the greatest batsman of his era along with ricky ponting and brian lara, why are people saying he is past it...pathetic
Complain about this postLook who's talking?
One who specialized in negative bowling and then justifying everything is fair in love and war. (Remember your bowling back then)
One who turns a blind eye to what his bowlers do and then cries foul when Indians give it back.
Gilo give us a break. You guys have got what you guys have been giving others all the time.
So you stop it first and we will too.
Complain about this postThere is no need for going after the beemer, it was not intenssional, from the photographs and in the video it is clear that he is appologising to KP.. The correct thing is India played better cricket and they deserved to win... England under estimated indian bowlers.. Thats their downfall.. India well deserved the victory.. media is taking attention by increasing attention to some simple incidents like ashly giles
Complain about this postLet's not forget this is a game, not a war. Beamers are dangerous and unecessary - they could cause serious head injury or even death. If a beamer is bowled I would think the bowler should be "man" enough to apologize to the batsman. Turning around and walking away is not "manly"; its simply discourteous and ill mannered. There's a difference between being competitive and being dangerous, and its not a thin line either - its fairly obvious.
Complain about this postRegarding the bat waving incident.. it's purely due to KP.. England players will understand new generation indian bpwlers / players not to afraid to gave reply by bat/ball/ words...
Complain about this postAshely u are totaly wrong on topic...
If the beamer was intentional, it is ofcourse highly condemnable. It is one thing to get verbal, but this reduces the standard of international cricket to street games. But what is obvious is that both england and india r not able to handle sledging and they would be better off without it.
Sledging has evolved from making wise cracks about a player's poor performance into making fun of a persons cultural and racial differences. Ofcourse at this stage is becomes necessary to ban it in the field.
Complain about this postEngland have been thoroughly outplayed in this match through almost every session (except perhaps the one last night and one or two today). There have been a couple of good performances (e.g Vaughan, Sidebottom) but generally England seem to have returned to the patchy days of the 90s.
I said to my brother at the end of the first day of the first test that we wouldn't win this series. The reasoning was based on the following facts that were evident by the end of that first day a) it is an inexperienced marginally test class bowling attack due to injuries (although they have bowled well in patches) b) the batting line up is short of consistency and form. My prediction seems to be upheld, despite the close draw at Lords. It is particularly depressing as we are being outplayed in English-type conditions (lots of swing etc) i.e. conditions that ought to suit us!
For England to have a chance in a series against a reasonable opposition, all the guns need to be blazing - everyone needs to be on form. Even the star of the team, Pietersen, has not yet reached the quality of Tendulkar, Dravid etc. So we seem to be outgunned on every discipline.
A world beating England side must include Flintoff, Hoggard and Trescothick at the very least. A loss in the final test will underline how far we have regressed since those heady days of 2005.
Complain about this postAgree with the comments about cricketers should just get on with playing cricket. The shoulder barging seems to be creeping more and more into cricket. Didn't Jimmy Anderson brush past Mortons shoulder earlier this summer, causing a bit of a reaction from the West Indian.
If captains are going to allow their own bowlers to behave like this then they can expect their own batsmen to take the same kind of treatment.
As for Pieterson, his character is such to wind up the opposition, he does it deliberately and knows exactly what he is doing. whether the beamer was intentional or not it had the desired effect for India, and that as they say is that. Lets hop this battle continues at the Oval.
Complain about this postAshley
So it appears that the Indians are the bad boys of the game so far. There is no mention at all about who started all this nonsense.
Complain about this postI am sure throwing jelly beans at the tail ender (Zaheer Khan) is a good act - what next brick bats? Also, sledging is all right in good humour but definitely not when your parentage is questioned or the distaff side of your family is commented upon. Then there is little difference between shoulder jousting and verbal abuse that has crossed the line.
I don't know why the british press is having a go at Sreesanth, diddn't anderson Barge Runako Morton? Diddnt Simon Jones Bowl a Beamer to Hayden in 2005? And Lee to Trescothick? Beamers happen!
Complain about this postI do question the profesionalism of Sreesanth now, although i doubt there was any intention in the beamer. I can't see why he needed to barge into Vaughan and keep pretending to throw the ball at KP.
Complain about this postGilo,
Complain about this postDo you think Strauss and Collingwood played needless shots to get out? Strauss didn't play himself back in after lunch and Collingwood nearly nicked the one before he actually did
So you think jelly-beans throwing by English players was just a verbal banter? I am sure you think that was justfied!
Complain about this postWell. as you sow so shall you reap. I think English player forget what they do on field and always incite trouble and when other teams get fired up, they always moan. What makes placid Gayle and even mate Zaheer so aggrieved that they wave their bats, only KP and Prior know. Gilo has quickly forgotten those wild throws and angry jeers and snares by Sidebottom and Anderson, looks like team policy of Allan Donald which seems to have backfired on England. Stop moaning and deal with your own teams shortcomings
Complain about this postWhat it always boils down to is this: who sets the rules for what is acceptable or not acceptable behavior on a cricket field? Why is it okay for Matt Prior to sledge Dinesh Karthick when he makes it clear that it is disrupting his play? Why is that "chirping" can continue to be but "all part of the game" and acceptable "mental distintegration strategy" for Australia or England or New Zealand when it clearly was not for the Indian batsman?
My point is: ether ban all sledging as unacceptable or learn to deal with "sledging" regardless of the form/type/cultural context in which it occurs. As for the beamer, it was clearly unintentional--even Kevin accepted the bowler's apology!
Complain about this postWhat a pathetic comment By Giles. This is a poor excuse. Remember John Snow incident knocking Gavaskar out and throwing bat at him. I do not believe that there was appology. At least Sreenath made a appology. England were outclassed and there is no excuse. India played good cricket on English soil but never given credit.Let us grow up and be gentleman and accept defeat instead of finding excuses..
Complain about this postFirst of all... Cricket world missing you.. Come back soon mate !
Zaheer waving the bat at KP... well.. thatz a bit unfair my friend. Wonder what did KP utter to disturb Zaheer who is not even a specialist batsman !
Sreesanth.. yeah... he was pretty rude throughout I guess. Hope Dravid will have a big chat in the dressing room.
Prior's on-field act was not convincing as well..
Karthick showed the score-board to Sidebottom. That was well-done.
Complain about this postRe: Praven Mistry.
Yes, there wasn't an apology from Snow. But the TCCB effectively made one on his behalf by dropping Snow for the next Test due to that incident.
Complain about this postCaptains are there in the match to lead and stop people from being real pinheads. Captains of both sides have tremendous respect for the way they conduct themselves. They should extend it by calling an absolute stop to all boorish and uncivilized behaviour from each of their teammates as well.
Let's play the ball as it should be played.
As for 'Gilo', earn a little respect by being fair. We will listen.
Complain about this postWe need a bit of Argy Bargy Gilo..we got it in the Ashes!
Complain about this postAlso well done on getting yout TMS Tie Gilo..wear it with pride as you said!.
As for KP, well you need concentration and I thought KP would have been focused rather than looking back at an incident then getting himself out with an LBW.
He should have at least twonked it.
Also our bowlers need more batting pratice as you pointed out in the 1st Innings Gilo...we need you back!
as beemers do seem to affect batsman,why not make the next 3 dels free hits with no field changes?i think this would help with less so called accidents
Complain about this postGood on Zaheer for not standing up to the verbal abuse from the English who were behaving like sore losers. Giles can whinge as much as he want. The English got what they deserved.
Complain about this postHi,
In reply to Kunal's post (no. 54) at 9.41pm, we are calling Sree Santh by this name after he told us that was how he wanted to be known in this interview with us on the eve of the first Test.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/india/6903147.stm
I hope this explains things.
Thanks.
Ian - BBC Sport Interactive.
Complain about this postWell well well. The author seems to draw a line between certain types of bad behaviour and certain others. Why is the sole judge on where to draw the line?
This is dangerous territory and cricket would be better off without any of these and that's how the line needs to be drawn, in my opinion.
Complain about this postRE : tony gorton (Comment 59):
I think thats a good idea. To give 3 free hits after a beamer.
Complain about this postBut your "so-called" comment leaves a bad taste.
I agree Sree Santh, wasnt too sporting today..for the way he bumped MV and no-ball bouncers. But I will give him benefit of doubt for the beamer... no one wants to kill a fellow cricketer!!
Been reading a few blog entries on bbc where its mentioned that the bean to Pieterson caused him to loose concentration and get out. If thats the case KP better reject this else during the next Ashes there will be quite a few accidental beamers thrown by the Aussies towards him :-)
Complain about this postAww c'mon Gilo - you are saying little about the English players. They are the ones who started the chirping. Intentional barging into anyone whilst not sporting, I suspect there was a justified reason for brandishing the bat.
Complain about this postMr "can only bowl wide outside the legstump" Giles, stop cribbing and finding excuses. if you like to dish it out (tho' will glad it cry fowl about "mental disintegration" when it is the aussies dishing it out to you guys) - then be prepared to take it on like a man.
Atleast have the sense to acknowledge a superior team and one of the best battings line ups of all time
Complain about this postBest Regards
Sri.
" Bat-waving (Zaheer Khan at Pietersen) and shoulder-barging (Santh to Michael Vaughan) are unacceptable because it becomes more than mental disintegration and chirping at that point." says Gilo. In the bargain he codones by forgetting to mention the sweet-throwing fielder who provoked Zaheer's bat-brandishing. Lets be fair when we pick up the pen.
Complain about this postwhy is bat-waving bad? it is a sign of frustration at the obviously uncalled for comments...
Complain about this postit is high time indians stand up for themselves
Gilo, you say that Kevin Peterson was rattled by the Beamer and was subsequently not the same bastman and got out. Rewind to the incident when Sachin Tendulkar was hit on the grill and how he saw it as a challenge to rise to the occasion. That is the difference between a great batsman and a Legend.
Complain about this postA great game was almost spoiled by poor umpiring.
Complain about this postI think it is inappropriate to condone any form of verbal or physical abuse, be it one bowler shouldering an opposition player or a keeper taunting an opposition batsman's native accent. Mind it, there is a thin line between what may be perceived as a racial slur when you bank on words to unsettle another person.
As for this match in particular, I think a number of incidents have been fairly disgraceful, for the sake of cricket in general. But I do feel very strongly that when one side behaves a certain way, it is hard to draw a line, and unfortunately, everything short of murder starts seeming acceptable - it is a vicious cycle and it MUST end.
Commentators, captains and game officials alike should either strive harder to condemn such actions, or they shouldn't bother defining what they feel is the appropriate line for players not to cross.
A plenty of good examples exist for players to emulate on both sides - clearly in the current setup, individuals like Vaughn, Strauss, Tendulkar and Dravid are but a few names well worth emulating when it comes to sportsmanship.
On another note, I would like to observe, as an Indian supporter, that sledging by the English players such as Prior and Pietersen clearly benefited us if it inspired Zaheer Khan's brilliant spell with the ball. Perhaps this might discourage the former two from sledging again (Though, I seriously doubt that!)
PLEASE play safe and play fair - EVERYONE...
Complain about this postMr Giles,
Sree Santh is an absolute disgrace.
The beamer was not accidental and unacceptable, and from the amount of cricket you played at the highest level I'm sure you agree.
The puzzling and sad thing is why dont you say so?
It was not long before that Snath had gone around the wicket and bowled Pieterson a no ball extending by over a foot.
There was little difference to that and a flying kick at someone on the ground in rugby except here Pieterson could have been maimed - helmet or no helmet.
The umpires and match referee should have ejected Santh immediately from the game.
Why didn't they?
Why didn't you condemn Santh's action?
Shame.
Complain about this posthey gilo
what do you make of
-the england players throwing jelly beans on the wicket?
and
-prior taking the mickey out of the indians accents?
would you class these incidents as 'a little bit of stuff?'
i would be very interested to know.
thanks take care.
Complain about this postI think Giles articles are very very strange and biased. He feels Zaheer's reaction was not sportsmanlike, but why because he reacted to sledging and jelly beans? What is the match refree doing? Is he not aware? I think a lot of Aussie negative tactics has rubbed onto the English side as well.
Santh is a fool, he needs to focus more on his bowling that his fury. I do not realize why he cannot focus on his line and length. If he continues the way he has been acting I suggest he takes up boxing and leave cricket.
Vaughan is no gentleman, if he is why not control his players.
Complain about this postAshley,
Complain about this postMaybe you will let people chuck sweets at your crease while you are batting and be okay with it. I find it remarkable that you biased English commentators dont see any wrong done by your team. You bowl on the leg side and throw things at batsman, but the smallest thing the other side does is magnified. I would like to see you try these tactics against the Aussies.
Be a little more neutral. Remember there are two sides to a coin.
Santh should be on the next plane home.
He is a disgrace to his team, his country, and the game.
Jellybeans are a bit of fun and nowhere near of the importance of the actions of that petulant little thug.
Complain about this posthow can england save a game with strauss bell collingwood and prior playing. these players aint test match standard and they have never been.
get them out and bring some you players in .
Complain about this postAnd I suppose one is just see the funny side of having jellybeans or whatever been thrown at while trying to play for his country is perfectly fine .. get real mate!
Complain about this postLast but definitely not the least:
Sledging is ultimately used by people who can't handle their frustrations.
Yes, I know that includes the aussies !
Real men don't make a song and dance - they do it quietly
Complain about this postI think India is following Aussie style of cursing batsman on ground.
Complain about this postSledging has always been exclusive to the Westerners (Australia, NZ too) in the name of being aggressive, spirited etc.
Complain about this postWhen Asians or colored ppl do it, it is always construed as not in the spirit of the game. or arrogant. or going over the line. etc.. that is hypocrisy.
Either fine everyone including the birds on the ground if the make any noise whatsoever.. or shut up and stop whining.
Ashley -- I agree bat waving and physical confrontation has no place in the game. Neither does throwing jelly beans on the pitch. Frankly it's childish behaviour on the part of both teams -- when the real heroes, Zaheer Khan and Michael Vaughan, shut up and played their cricket. Whoever threw the beans on the pitch is just being childish. England and India have always played the game in the right spirit and guys like Sreesanth and Prior need to appreciate tough sport by letting their wickets and runs do the talking.
Complain about this postI think England need to stop their whinging....as usual when things don't go their way they start looking for excuses. If India do start acting like the Aussies the game will be more competitive.....we need more teams willing to stand up. Ps - Ashley's still a pie chucker.
Complain about this postWhy are England intent on pussy-footing aound Kevin Peterson!
There is far too much hype around this mediocre batsman.
Instead of persisting with him, give some home-grown talent a chance. It is the same blinkered thinking that kept Geraint in the team!
Complain about this postLike someone said on the other board if you cant play like the Aussies dont talk like the aussies. The mediocre England side need to learn how to shut up and try to improve their cricket.
Excellent performance from India. I think it was the openers and Zaheer that have us put us in this awesome position.
Complain about this postFor all the talk of how lucky Indian batsmen were with decisions not given to English bowlers, . . . well Michael Vaughan wasn't exactly all milky white when on 11 he clearly nicked the ball and the Umpire turned it down.
Talk of luck, England got the most of it and are yet staring fown the barrel.
Complain about this postI think it all depends who starts the fire. So in this case IMHO Indians were just fighting fire with fire.
Had England tried such antics against an opponent like Aussies they would've received medicine of their own treatment. Remember the MBE's......
Complain about this postShoulder charging and bat waving have no place in cricket and the umpires should step in. Why can't we have some equivalent of the footballers' yellow and red cards--send the offender(s) off the field and ensure that they do not bat or bowl for X no. of overs or hours--if any team suffers, so be it. Having said that, what was KP doing, allegedly throwing jelly beans on the pitch? That definitely does not come under any definition of fair play or 'normal' gamesmanship. As regards young Sree shanth, someone should tell him that his aggro should be channelised into his bowling, rather than going over the top sledging and banging into batsmen. He will be much the better for it because the way he is going, he could face a ban one of these days.
Complain about this postI have thoroughly enjoyed your commentary on TMS, I just wish you would have paid more attention toCMJ when he was talking about the rules of the game and sledging not surprising you sided with the players. However. not being churlish I feel you would be an excellent addition to TMS on a permanent basis, good luck with your injury
Complain about this postI think its BBC's fault. It does not say in the report that Sreesanth Apologised, which he did.
Complain about this postFor years and years teams have been mega aggresive against India, and India have not had the type of player to be aggresive back. Now they do - people have started complaining.
I believe people are just looking for an excuse in this test match - truth is that this test has been men againt boys.
Complain about this postI think that Gilo saying the tail-end guys have not performed with the bat is incorrect.
Complain about this postSiders has been "the find of the summer" not just for his bowling, and for which he should have been selected anyway, whether or not the first choices of Harmy, Hoggy or Jones were fit.
He has also had a sensible batting approach, often being ahead of recognised batsmen..
Credit where it is due.
I totally beg to differ on what you say gilo - For donkeys years English & Australian players have been using their antics at sledging & shouldering with no issues(Steve Waugh Vs Ambrose - Slater Vs Dravid - Flintoff Vs Ganguly), suddenly all this becomes a problem when an Indian player says a polite something to his English counterpart.
What about the Goonly behaviour of the english players to throw jelly bean on Zaheer ??????
Complain about this postMr Giles, if Zaheer's bat waving is more than mental disintegration and chirping, then what is the throwing of jelly beans on Zaheer? Is it some form of English welcome equivalent to greeting a guest with a cup of tea?
Complain about this postashley,i guess your hoping to get back in the england team and so have to defend england??
Complain about this postanyway..forget sree santh and kp and zaheer khan..it was matt prior, who has been on the scene 2 minutes and lecturing us on how tough test cricket is , that has pushed the boundaries..i know what he said and the 11 indian players know whats happened and it's not pleasant..there is no way india will tolerate this type of behaviour!!
anyway, there is one england captain..kp and vice captain seems to be prior..thats the word from people that know..
Aggresive attitute should be there, but up to a limit. Srishant is aggressive in nature and he tend to do this often. So it is not a good sign for his future.
Complain about this postHey Gilo ! Nice article
Just wanted to say that physical contact is unacceptable - but I clearly remember Dominic Cork
pushing Saeed Anwar at a test match in England a several years ago - a push without provocation.
No one said anything and no action was taken so please stop complaining - as what goes around comes around.
Also people forget that Brett Lee BEAMED a NZ batsmen 1-2 years ago and hit him. But since he is australian nothing is said or done about that.
Double standards maybe ?
Complain about this postI believe the various writers on cricket including Ashley miss a major point when they criticise any particular action of an erring player, in this case Zaheer's bat waving and Sreesanth's beamer (somehow Ashley missed the ludicurous jelly beans event).
Complain about this postThe writers tend to see the effect it has on the on going game but miss the larger picture. Is sledging, purposely obstructing a batsman or taunts from fielders or such like behaviour really adding to the enjoyment of the game, is it that necessary or is it simply being highlighted (and indirectly supported) to increase viewership/readership? It is awful to see some of these players mouthing foul words which any one can interpret, is this what we want our children to see and emulate? It is disheartening to see commentators emphatically justify sledging as something that adds spice to the game. Some players look down right stupid trying to show the so called aggression in the form of expletives or body language bordering on the ridiculous. More often than not one finds that better the player the less inclined he is to use other than cricketing means to stamp his authority on the game. Spice is inherent in the quality of the game and it does not need false aggression to enhance it.
If this does not stop, getting physical is merely a step away. It would be a sad day for the game when that happens. If we want a high by seeing aggression, we can get that in boxing or even football, leave cricket alone.
It's good to see that England are reaping what they sow. They are the first ones to complain when they are sledged, but feel that it is justified when they use it effectively against the opposition. And tossing jelly beans on the wicket? Sounds like amateur league tactics. The lack of men on the England side, and the inability of the players to even act like men, explains why this team lost 5-0 in the winter. Pathetic. India have overcome these juevenile tactics to give England a deserved slice of humble pie. Job done.
Complain about this postRegarding Sri's comment stating English fans should admit India are a superior team, may I just remind Sri and his fellow supporters England are missing their entire first choice bowling line up(Panesar aside) as well as the best all-rounder in world cricket and one of the best opening batsmen(Trescothick). This fact seems to have been conveniently forgotten. Imagine how your team would be doing without Singh, Zaheer, Kumble, Dravid etc etc-not very well methinks. Yet India's full strength team were still outplayed in the first test!!
Complain about this postLate wickets flattered Panesar? Not sure about that Ashley. He got two top order batsmen out and I thought he bowled very well throughout. Wouldn't you be pleased with 4 for 100, in the first innings against India?
I think 7.5 /10 is about right.
Complain about this postI happened to read somewhere else, that the bat-waving episode by Zaheer happened b'coz he was repeatedly finding jellybeans on his crease. While I am sure this was a harmless prank by the English players, between that and the repeated sledging the English managed to push Zaheer's buttons somehow. It will be interesting to see whether ICC considers this as a "violation" when it starts doling out the fines after the test
Complain about this postYes Indians outplayed English in second test but they are not consistent they almost lost the first test match against an English side which has many key players out of the team atm, and now England should play better to win the lat test and save the series.
Now as for the some unwanted occurrences that occurred on field regarding Sreesanth and Zaheer, i would say getting physical is not the way to go just sledge harder like Aussies :)
Complain about this postand what they did was not acceptable but it was well provoked.
This was a well deserved victory for India-the team with greater class and ability. There were many including Bob Willis (who not for the first time will eat humble pie) who pronounced on the decline and end of this outstanding middle order. They have shown that they are NOT on their last legs to use his words. If England had artists and magicians like Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid in the team I would be an English supporter. I say to the English-Watch and Enjoy as you will not see the likes of these guys in a long time. Australia may have batting machines in their order but certainly not the beauty, the touch and the class that cricket deserves and has got from this unique Indian Middle order.
Complain about this postTo Satish Kumar:
Is your loyalty to a team based purely on the quality of their players? Do you support Man U now Chelsea are second best?
Surely you should support the team that means most to you, rather than the one that gives you most bragging rights?
Tendulkar is half the player he used to be but he is still in the top 5 in the world. Dravid and Ganguly are class but Laxman is inconsistent.
They do not always produce the Joga Bonita you talk about. Dravid aside, KP has been a more consistent batsman recently and very elegant, if totally dislikeable.
On the subject of sledging - it is not called test cricket for nothing, but Merv and Beefy would be swearing into their beers at the purile and pathetic behaviour of both these teams. What happened to good old mum jokes?
Complain about this postWhat nonsense to say that Santh didn't intend the beamer after the barge. Players like Ashley Giles are reluctant to admit that amongst the high quality athletes playing their game there are some low quality human beings! Santh is clearly one of them and he is also unusual because India has probably had the lowest number of these people over the years. But let's not pretend such behaviour demonstrates anything other than severe character defects.
Complain about this postWhy has everyone on the BBC network started calling fast bowler Sreesanth, Sree Santh or just Santh, his name is Shanthakumaran Sreesanth which maybe a bit of a mouthfull for commentators and journalists but still no reason to start making it easier for themselves by messing about with it or maybe Im missing something, can anyone explain?
Complain about this post