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Ben Stokes: Umpires should give 'leeway' on sledging, says England vice-captain

Last updated on .From the section Cricketcomments131

Ben Stokes and Marlon Samuels have clashed on several occasions
Ben Stokes and Marlon Samuels have clashed on several occasions

Umpires are too quick to clamp down on sledging, says Ben Stokes.

The England all-rounder, who has been involved in heated exchanges with West Indies star Marlon Samuels,external-link feels officials can jump in "too early" and make "a situation out of nothing".

Stokes told the BBC: "We're trying to win a game here playing for our country, so give us a bit of leeway."

England's vice-captain for the one-day series in Bangladesh also claims some fans want players to sledge each other.

"They like to see passion and desire to win, so I think there could be a bit more lenience towards stuff like that, definitely," the 25-year-old told Stumped, the World Service's weekly cricket programme.

Stokes and Samuels have clashed several times on the field of play.

Samuels taunted Stokes by saluting him as he left the pitch after the England man was dismissed in a Grenada Test in 2015.

The pair then confronted each other when West Indies overcame England in this year's World Twenty20 final.

Stokes, who has played 25 Tests for England and 44 ODIs, has also been caught verbally abusing South Africa batsman Temba Bavuma.external-link

You can hear more from England and Durham all-rounder Stokes on this week's Stumped podcast, which is available from Saturday.

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131 comments

  • Comment posted by Old Father Thames, at 12:06 5 Oct 2016

    Sledging - otherwise known as verbal abuse - should not have any place in cricket, and goes against the good natured sportsmanship associated with the game.

  • Comment posted by JonnyC, at 12:06 5 Oct 2016

    Leave it on the football pitch, no one can deny a clever piece of sledging/goading is very entertaining and good when it works e.g. Mind the windows tino..But Stokes altercations with Samuels were actually quite uncomfortable to watch. I personally don't want to see that on the cricket pitch again.

  • Comment posted by Its_a_Knockout, at 12:24 5 Oct 2016

    The Umpire's always right, Ben. If he thinks you've crossed the line between harmless banter and over-the-top sledging then you, I'm afraid, have to agree.

  • Comment posted by foreverengland, at 12:15 5 Oct 2016

    Sledging is for imbeciles with no class... save it for the overpaid and overhyped footballers.

  • Comment posted by Bielsa, at 12:25 5 Oct 2016

    Theres banter and theres sledging.

    Banter can be clever and funny, sledging is just plain offensive and has no place in sport.

  • Comment posted by neverknowinglyundersold, at 12:17 5 Oct 2016

    I have watched my two boys play a lot of kids cricket and seen sledging get very personal and unpleasant in those games. The older players, as with any sport, are the role models to the young and as such have to be responsible and accountable for their actions on and off the field.
    Sledging can be humorous but too often gets out of hand so fo me it's better that the umpires step in when they do.

  • Comment posted by whiterose, at 12:16 5 Oct 2016

    Agree with JonnyC; self-policing has been tried and failed. I would rather have no sledging if it means no verbal abuse.

  • Comment posted by Baron von Gammon, at 12:41 5 Oct 2016

    Greg Thomas had beaten the bat a couple of times and says to Viv Richards "It's red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering"

    Richards smashes the next ball out of the ground and into a river, at which point he says "Greg, you know what it looks like. Now go and find it"

    Not really sledging, but made me smile.

  • Comment posted by SJR78, at 12:33 5 Oct 2016

    'A man's game'. '...sledging enhances the passion...'. '...the game is about entertainment'.

    (Sighs. Shakes his head in disbelief. Closes down laptop)

  • Comment posted by JackNapier, at 12:27 5 Oct 2016

    I reckon sledging is more popular with the players, who largely do it for their own entertainment.

    Most fans & spectators would rather see more gentlemanly behaviour from their cricketers.

  • Comment posted by U16602093, at 12:05 5 Oct 2016

    Ben Stokes = flat track bully.

    Sledging = cowardly and Aussie behaviour, should be better than that.

  • Comment posted by - - - And Out Come The Wolves, at 15:20 5 Oct 2016

    what a prat! what has sport come to:

    "We're trying to win a game here playing for our country, so give us a bit of leeway."

    So Stokes, and his fellow modern sportsmen, think that telling an opponent his mother and sister are 'ugly sluts', etc, is the way to earn sporting greatness? I'm sure when they win the country is proud of them.........

  • Comment posted by s01628, at 12:57 5 Oct 2016

    Agree with Zigzag. Umpire decides the difference, if he says shut up though, do so.

  • Comment posted by Richard, at 14:33 5 Oct 2016

    The bat and ball win cricket matches Mr Stokes not foul mouth abuse.

  • Comment posted by Heethster, at 12:55 5 Oct 2016

    Stokes is an idiot for making such comments. Kids will do the same of course, because that's what kids do. You cannot allow the players to determine where the line is between sledging and banter as that line is subjective.

  • Comment posted by Horatio McSherry, at 12:53 5 Oct 2016

    Perhaps Stokes should spend his time practising how to bowl the last over of important matches than what he's going to say to the batsman about to knock him into the stands

  • Comment posted by exxyeddie, at 12:50 5 Oct 2016

    Stokes is misguided. He is a role model whether he likes it or not. Young children imitate footballers diving and abusing the referee and young children will imitate sledging

  • Comment posted by Guy Fawkes, at 12:56 5 Oct 2016

    Think somebody on here has commented something similar but I too have recently been to a very junior game of cricket and the 'Sledging' between these kids was nothing short of appalling. The adults on the boundary were twice as bad.

    This fell far short of a bit of banter this was vicious verbal abuse.

    It's supposed to be 'Sport'.

    Keep your cricket, I'll stick to Rugby, it's safer! :-)

  • Comment posted by Sam, at 12:30 5 Oct 2016

    Agree with zigzag - banter's fine sledging isn't. The difficulty some players seem to have is knowing where the line is.

  • Comment posted by GunnerBear, at 14:44 5 Oct 2016

    The difference Ben between sledging and banter is the difference between a chav and a gentleman. Cricket is supposed to be a gentleman's game, it is not association football. Respect all round would be most welcome, please.

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