When I was a kid sledging was something you did on a bin bag in the snow, it was certainly not something we talked about in the Summer. In recent years it has become much more prevalent and is a fundamental part of the mental game that goes on in top class sport. I find it increasingly sad to see it creeping in to the lower echelons of the game as well, where mental toughness is not a charateristic that makes a huge difference. Whenever I see a kid rolling about on a football pitch, arguing with referees, wiping the ball before a throw in my heart sinks. It is the same in club cricket I fear.
The best bid of sledging I have ever heard was between Glenn McGrath and Robin Smith, after McGrath had bowled 5 balls of his over and Smith hadn't got near one of them, in total frustration McGrath exclaimed "Why are you so fat?", Smith replied: "Because every time I make love to your wife she gives me a biscuit!" There is no answer to that.
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