Someone please teach Andre how to sledge

Whether you love it or loathe it, sledging is a part of the game. Some cricketers have carved slices of history out of classic sledges and others.....well....some others just don’t get it.

The first rule of sledging is “you don’t talk when you’re getting whipped”. The second rule of sledging is (in my best Brad Pitt voice) “you do not talk when you’re getting whipped.”

When Adam Gilchrist spanked Andre Nel for 22 in a single over, Graeme Smith should have given the yappy bowler a clip in the ear and told him to shut up. His incessant muttering only served to make him look foolish.

A bowler can sledge when a batsmen gets a lucky edged four. He can sledge when he bowls a brute of a bouncer that pings the helmet badge or a ripper that turns square. But when he’s getting thrashed about the park from the middle of the bat, it’s time to close trap and bowl better.

Someone please tell Andre Nel this.