Aussies can’t take own medicine

From a distance it must seem that this has been a glorious occasion. Unfortun-ately it has been nothing of the sort and even a rousing finale will not save it from the acrimony that has been its main feature. Regardless of the result, the Australians have done nothing to enhance their reputations as sportsmen.

If victory cannot be achieved without recourse to the sort of antagonism seen in Antigua then it is not worth bothering about. Cricket searched for a champion team and found only an unscrupulous aggressor. This match has been spoiled by numerous ugly confrontations, setting a mood to which the crowd responded by jeering and throwing bottles when a poor decision was given against the local man. Throughout, the Australians have appeared in a poor light. Admittedly the visitors were not solely responsible for the incidents seen upon the field, but they cannot keep provoking opponents and then recoil whenever someone reacts as Brian Lara did in the first innings and Ramnaresh Sarwan in the second. Opponents are allowed to have their say.

Sarwan clashed with Glenn McGrath, whose mood was not helped by the punishment he was taking. Words were exchanged as the batsman completed a run, the young Guyanese reacting to some perceived insult issued as the bowler turned away from the direction of the ball and the following cameras. Inevitably the situation swiftly deteriorated, with McGrath pointing fingers, calling names and marching across to the batsman, who was not himself behaving like Little Lord Fauntleroy.  However, the rumours about Sarwan’s remarks — that they referred to McGrath’s ill wife — were incorrect. As usual the Australians hunted as a pack with others joining the fray. Not for the first time Steve Waugh comprehensively failed to pour cold water on these tempers, a reluctance that must put his position in doubt.  He let matters run along and left it to the umpires to settle things down.

In the laws of cricket, it states that captains are responsible for ensuring that their players maintain the spirit of the game. Patently the Australians had decided to turn up the heat after the tea interval, directing their attentions at Sarwan in an attempt to rattle an opponent inclined to let his emotions run away with him. Waugh has done many fine things but he does not protect the game that has been his living. Nor did these nasty moments improve Australia’s performance. The Australians lost their focus on the first day and did not recover it. Normally the battle between the ears belongs to them. Instead Waugh’s players became carried away in a manner not seen for years. On the fourth day they lacked the control expected from professionals performing in public. After bowling with commendable control in the morning they allowed themselves to be distracted from their plan. Controlled aggression has been their strong point.  A wilder variety of the same genus was their undoing. These outbursts spoilt some compelling cricket.