The Sledgy Edge: 10 Hilarious sledging incidents in World Cricket

They say cricket is a gentleman’s game. They also say that winning and losing is a part of the game and doesn’t really matter, as long as the sport is played in the right spirit. But then, in the heat of the moment when you’re playing for your country under the watchful eye of millions, staying calm is easier said than done. Exhilaration on claiming a wicket or frustration at not being able to get one; the thrill of smashing the ball away for a six or the helplessness at watching the smashed ball land right into the hands of the fielder- such emotions on the field find exaggerated expression and sometimes lead to what the world knows as ‘sledging.’

Put simply, sledging is the art of mouthing off a player to prevent him from playing his natural game. There are no rules in sledging – just put the other guy off his game. As the Latin saying goes, ‘ut ledo existo victum’ i.e. ‘to offend is to win.’

Evidence suggests that sledging has been around since the Roman times. However, the first usage of the word ‘sledging’ can be traced back to the Sheffield Shield season in Adelaide in 1963-64. At that time, a cricketer who swore in front of a lady was said to be ‘as subtle as a sledgehammer’. Over the years, this was condensed to ‘sledge’ for the sake of convenience.

There’s no doubt that cricket is the true aficionado of the sledge. Such tobogganing can be witty, bitter, humorous, provocative, offensive or plain downright stupid-depending on who’s playing whom. Here is a compilation of the most (in)famous cases of sledging in cricketing history:

1. WG GRACE V/S UMPIRE

English batsman W.G Grace(also known as Godfather of Sledging) was at the crease when the ball slipped by him and knocked off a bail.

Unabashed and unmoved, he told the umpire:

‘Twas the wind which took

thy bail off, good sir.’

Hearing this, the umpire answered, in a language Grace would understand:

‘Indeed, and let us hope thy wind

helps you back to the pavilion.’

2. ROD MARSH V/S IAN BOTHAM

As Ian Botham came out to bat for England in an Ashes match, Australian Rod Marsh greeted him this way:

‘So, how’s your wife and my kids?’

Quick as a flash, Botham retorted:

‘Wife’s good but the kids are retarded.’

3. STEVE WAUGH AND IAN HEALY V/S NASSER HUSSAIN

English player Nasser Hussain was fresh at the crease and Australian skipper Steve Waugh wanted to build up pressure on him. He told Ricky Ponting:

‘Field at silly point.

I want you right under his nose.’

Sledge master Ian Healy quipped:

‘That could be anywhere

inside a three mile radius!’

Laughing, Nasser was out three balls later.

4. RAVI SHASTRI V/S MIKE WHITNEY

Australian twelfth man Mike Whitney replaced an injured teammate in a test match against India. Ravi Shastri hit the ball in Whitney’s direction and tried to grab a quick single but Whitney prevented the run. Right after, he said to Shastri:

‘If you leave the crease

I’ll break your f**king head.’

To which he got the following reply:

‘If you could play as well

as you talk you wouldn’t be

the f**king twelfth man.’

5. MERV HUGHES V/S ROBIN SMITH

The notorious Merv Hughes was bowling to English batsman Robin Smith during a test at Lords in 1989. Smith was having a dry patch with more misses than hits. Hughes couldn’t resist saying:

‘You can’t f**king bat.’

Smith responded, both with bat and banter. He smashed the ball to the boundary, and added:

‘Merv, we make a fine pair.

I can’t f**king bat and

you can’t f**king bowl.’

6. STEVE WAUGH V/S HERSCHELLE GIBBS

Host South Africa was facing Australia in a Super Six match in 1999. Steve Waugh, batting at 56 runs, seemed confident of winning. He hit a delivery straight to fielder Herschelle Gibbs who fumbled with the ball and made a vain attempt to throw it in the air. It was an upsetting spectacle. Taking advantage of his opposition’s ‘fall’, Waugh commented:

‘How does it feel to have

dropped the World Cup?’

Australia won the match and the World Cup too.

7. The crowd v/s Inzamam ul-Haq

Indo-Pak relations, both on and off the field, have always been volatile. Once when the two teams were playing an exhibition match in Canada in 1997, an Indian from the stands called out to Inzamam-ul-Haq in Hindi, saying:

‘Mota Aaloo (Fat Potato)’

This provoked Inzy to the verge of madness.He refused to resume the game and spent a good ten minutes quarreling with the spectator. Ironically, that very name is still stuck to him till date!

8. Bill Woodfull v/s Douglas Jardine

Once England’s captain Douglas Jardine claimed that he had been called a ‘bastard’ by one of the Australian players. Australian skipper Bill Woodfull, perhaps feigning sincerity, turned to his team members saying:

‘Which one of you bastards

called this bastard a bastard?’

9. Dennis Lillee v/s Multiple batsmen

The great Dennis Lillee had a signature sledge that he used to unnerve a variety of batsmen:

‘I know why you’re batting

so badly. You’ve got some shit

on the end of your bat.’

As a natural response, the batsman would begin examining the end of his bat, at which moment Lillee would add his punch:

‘Wrong end, mate.’

10. Sachin Tendulkar v/s Abdul Qadir

In 1989, Sachin Tendulkar was a short, ambitious teenager making his debut amidst men twice his age. Playing in Pakistan, he was mocked and jeered at by crowds flashing placards saying ‘Hey kid, go home and drink milk.’

Sachin hit two sixes in Mushtaq Ahmed’s over, to the obvious chagrin of the Pakistani team. This incited Ahmed’s mentor Abdul Qadir who decided to bowl the next over and protected his young teammate saying:

‘Why are you hitting kids? Try and hit me.’

Sachin, being the calm player that he is, remained silent. He let his bat do the talking, as the next over read: 6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6.

So, that is what it takes! Personal, sharp-edged dialogues as fast as the ball that moves to and fro between wickets. Sledging, in the end, is just an attempt by the eleven-membered team to unnerve and attack those at the crease; for the two batsmen, however, sledging is a tool that decides how long can they prance and wield their bat about the pitch!