Sledging is mostly carried out to weaken the opposition’s concentration by intimidating them verbally and trying to get under their skin. Australians are infamous for their sledging techniques, that turned out to be controversial, more often than not.
There are have been numerous instances of sledging through the ages and here is a list of 5 of the most epic instances of sledging in the game.
1. Shane Warne and Daryll Cullinan
South African batsman Daryll Cullinan was known for struggling against the bowling of the legendary Shane Warne. The two hadn’t played against each other for quite a while and when they finally did, Warne, being the typical Australian, said: “I’ve been waiting two years for another chance at you…” (To humiliate him)
Daryll quickly replied with a zinger: “Looks like you spent it eating!”
2. Ravi Shastri and Mike Whitney
Ravi Shastri was batting in the second test in Melbourne in 1991/92 when the 12th man of the team Mike Whitney was called in as the substitute fielder. Shastri tried to get a quick single by hitting the ball to Whitney who was at mid-off who yelled, “If you leave your crease, I will break your f–king head.”
The veteran Shastri was quick to reply: “Hey! If you could bat or bowl as well as you could talk, you wouldn’t be the f–king twelfth man!”
3. Javed Miandad and Merv Hughes
Merv Hughes is infamous for his sledging and when Javed Miandad tried to sledge Hughes, he learnt his lesson. In a test match between Pakistan and Australia in 1991, when Miandad was on the crease, he said: “Merv, you are a big, fat bus conductor.”
Merv was silent but soon dismissed Miandad and ran past him and shouted, “Tickets, please!” and silenced Miandad.
4. Sachin Tendulkar and Abdul Qadir
The Master Blaster had been subjected to several instances of sledging by bowlers from all around the globe but he always made sure to always reply with the bat and not verbally. In an ODI against Pakistan, Tendulkar hit two sixes off the bowling of Mustaq Ahmed.
Ahmed’s mentor Abdul Qadir, a veteran himself, approached Tendulkar and told him: “Bachchon ko kyun mar rahe ho? Hamein maar ke dikhao. (Why are you thrashing kids? Thrash me if you can.)”
Sachin however did not reply verbally but waited for Qadir’s over. He went on to hit 4 sixes and a four in his over.
5. Merv Hughes and Robin Smith
English batsman Robin Smith, popularly known as Judgie, was struggling to make contact with the ball and couldn’t even get an edge, when bowler Merv Hughes went over to him and said, “If you turn the bat over, you’ll get the instructions mate”.
6. Glenn McGrath and Eddo Brandes
Regarded as one of the greatest bowlers ever, Glenn McGrath could rip apart any batting line-up in his prime. He was also very well known for his impatience in the field and his sledges.
McGrath was getting annoyed at not being able to dismiss the amateur Zimbabwean batsman Eddo Brandes so he decided to verbally intimidate the batsman by mocking his physical appearance: “Why are you so fat?”
But the batsman was quick to reply: “Because every time I made love to your wife, she gave me a biscuit”.
7. Dennis Lillee
It is unusual to note that there is no mention of an opponents name in this case. This is because Dennis Lillee used these lines with several batsmen throughout his career.
Lillee would first say: “I can see why you are batting so badly, you’ve got some shit on the end of your bat”.
The batsman would proceed to examine the end of the bat when Lillee would quickly respond: “Wrong end mate!”
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