“Get ready for a broken f'ing arm”

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Mike the Dagger
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Is this acceptable banter from an international cricket captain or over the line and out of order?
Kevin
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Bit crap isn't it...perhaps the Umpire could've had a word at the time?

It's been funny with the Aussies..especially since the summer. The level of barbed comments, even from the coach, in interviews on TV and in the papers has - I think - got lower and lower.

Fair play, they whooped England's behind in this first test - but it was their first win in 9. Reckon it's a lot of verbals to make up for quite a lot of deficiencies in their team & management.

England's comments have pretty much followed the polite formula - albeit Broad should have walked (imo) in the summer Test where he paddled a catch. Other than that (and beating Australia 3-0) I can't really feel they've contributed to the so-called "war of words" - does look more like a bit of moronic gibberish from Australia I think.

Be great if we could see 'em off in the next Test!
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Mike the Dagger
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Thing is, it is up to the captains to control their players, so the umpire would have had to asked Clarke to have a word with himself...

I appreciate that Ashes cricket is full on and very competitive, and I am pretty sure that Jimmy Anderson has heard it all before (and probably dished it too) but having that sort of physical threat broadcast over the stump mic hardly is a fine example of how to conduct yourself in a cricket match and it isn't so much this match that is at issue, it is what the message is to people playing the game elsewhere at all levels. Legend has it that sledging is amusing in some way and there are a myriad of stories of witty comebacks etc, but this is just an attempt at intimidation, and by the time it happened the game was over as a contest anyway.

The Laws of Cricket have an opening section which was added in an effort to enshrine the "spirit" of the game, http://www.lords.org/mcc/laws-of-cricke ... -the-laws/. I challenge anyone to read that and say that the captain of Australia was acting within the spirit of cricket in his actions.

Is it time to ditch the preamble and just accept that cricket is another competitive sport where winning is all that it is about and how you win doesn't matter a jot?

that would be really sad.
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