Who are the best sledgers in the cricketing world and who are the meek victims walking back to the pavilion having been talked into getting out?
It can be humourous, aggressive, clever, stupid or sometimes just plain bizarre. Some players partake frequently, using it to pump themselves up or maintain concentration. Others stay as quiet as a mouse and remain in the zone.
Although the majority of sledges stay on the pitch, a few have left the field of play and gone on to become part of the folklore of the game.
Though, no one knows about the exact origin of the term ‘sledging’. Players use it often to intimidate the opposition while some also criticize it. Despite all that, it continues to find relevance in modern-day cricket. Here’s a list of 5 epic sledging incidents in cricket history.
1. Sachin Tendulkar and Abdul Qadir
The first match of the India and Pakistan ODI series in 1989-90 was scheduled on 15th of December at Peshawar. Due to poor light, the official match was cancelled. For the sake of the crowd gathered in the stadium, both the countries decided to play a 20-over exhibition match. Pakistan batted first and made 157.
In reply, when Sachin Tendulkar hit Mushtaq Ahmad for two sixes in an over, Abdul Qadir came to him and said, “Bachchon ko kyon mar rahe ho? Hamein bhi maar dikhao” (“Why are you only hitting the kid? Hit me too.”) This charged up with the debutant and Abdul Qadir’s next over read: 6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6. Unfortunately, India fell short of the target by a mere 4 runs.
2. Adam Gilchrist vs. Mohammad Kaif
During the fourth Test of Australia's tour of India in 2004, and with the game in the balance, Adam Gilchrist was convinced that Mohammad Kaif had gloved one behind.
Given "not out" by umpire Rudi Koertzen, the Aussie wicket-keeper and a legendary walker himself, could hardly contain his indignation and told the Indian batsman what he thought.
After the next ball, Gilchrist, always a class act, can clearly be letting Kaif know the gravity of the situation in an extremely Australian way:
"The whole world is watching Champ."
3. Sir Viv Richards vs. Greg Thomas
During his spell for Somerset in County Cricket, Sir Viv Richards produced a legendary retort.
After playing and missing at successive deliveries, Glamorgan paceman Greg Thomas made the brave decision to give Viv some verbals as to the appearance of the ball.
"It’s red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering. "Of course, the next ball was launched out of the ground by the West Indian legend accompanied with the following words:
"Greg, you know what it looks like. Now go and find it."
4. Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan
Chasing a record 418 runs in the fourth innings, the West Indies trio of Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul dug in. When they were at 236/4, Glenn McGrath tried to break Sarwan’s concentration and asked him, “What does Brian Lara’s d**k taste like?”.
To this, Sarwan replied, “I don’t know, ask your wife”. This caught Glenn McGrath off-guard and he got angry, warning Sarwan, “If you f**king mention my wife again, I’ll f**king rip your f**king throat out.” Sarwan wasn’t aware that McGrath’s wife was suffering from cancer and this is why McGrath got troubled.
West Indies later went on to chase the target, a record which hasn’t been bettered till now.
5. Steve Waugh and Parthiv Patel
The 2003-04 Indian Test tour of Australia was tied at 1-1 with the last game to be played in Sydney from 2-6 January 2004. The Aussies were set a near-impossible 443 to win on the last day of the Test match. When Waugh, the leading run-scorer in Test matches at that time, walked to the crease at 170/3, Parthiv Patel tried to distract his mind. The 18-year old Patel, with just the experience of 12 international Test matches, said, “Let’s see if you can play one of those famous slog-sweeps, and miss one.”
Steve Waugh, playing his final Test match didn’t like it and replied, “Show a bit of respect, you were in nappies when I played my first Test match.” This reply from Waugh has been instilled in the memory of cricket fans since then.
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