Asking players to 'man up' not the solution
The Jadeja-Anderson spat should shake up the custodians of the game to revisit the code of conduct and make it clear to the players that abuse of any kind makes the game poorer
ESPNcricinfo staff
07-Aug-2014
The Jadeja-Anderson spat should shake up the custodians of the game to revisit the code of conduct and make it clear to the players that abuse of any kind makes the game poorer. Expecting a player to cop the filthiest abuse and carry on with life does not set a good example, for it will encourage others to dish out more abuse without fear of consequences, writes Harsha Bhogle in the Indian Express.
I am not asking for the game to be made sterile, for emotion to be quarantined. No, not at all. I am not asking for the "finger on the lips" that primary school teachers demand of young boys and girls. I don't mind a word spoken in anger or jest or even contempt. But filth and abuse must stop, references to families and parentage must stop for it is inevitable that it will lead to a punch thrown. We are not far away.
In the Telegraph, Michael Vaughan wants Anderson to continue sledging the Indians, but not to the extent that will fetch him a fine or a ban. Fast bowlers use it as a mechanism to get on top of the batsmen, and an aggressive Anderson is what England needs to win the series, provided the abuse doesn't get personal.
The best bowlers channel the aggression in the right way. You knew you were on top of McGrath if he started losing his rag. At Lord's it was clear England were unsettled by the allegations that came out of the Trent Bridge Test. They were very fragile and stand-offish out in the middle. I think it really got to Jimmy. But at the Ageas Bowl he was back to being the Jimmy of old.