Will Michael Clarke escape Bingle sledgers?

BY PAUL TATNELL

Last updated 16:08 16/03/2010

Text Size

NICK MOIR/Sydney Morning Herald

UPSET: Australian cricketer Michael Clarke arrives at Sydney Airport for his flight to New Zealand.

Clarke shuns media at Wellington

Lara Bingle

1 of 8

Fairfax Zoom

Lara Bingle and Michael Clarke

Relevant offers

Cricket

Australian Symonds retires from pro cricket CD take late wicket as Plunket Shield resumes Season appears over for CD's Adam Milne Joseph Yovich returns to Knights Friendly skippers desperate for T20 success West Australian to wear gloves for Firebirds Top cricketer tweets good news in cancer fight Australia call up Holland as Doherty cover Five Proteas players for Black Caps to be wary of Plunket Shield debut continues McEwan's great run

Steve Waugh describes sledging as 'mental disintegration'.

But where do you draw the line when it comes to getting one up on your opposition?

Australian Vice-Captain Michael Clarke is about to find out as he prepares to mark his return to test cricket against New Zealand on Friday.

Clarke, who suddenly left the tour after his former fiance Lara Bingle was caught up in a nude picture scandal, is still in news headlines after teammate Mike Hussey said Clarke's personal affairs should be off limits come game day.

Clarke so far has refused to discuss the picture scandal or media circus that followed the break down of his relationship.

"I think it is a personal issue and it's probably going a little bit too far if they do mention anything about that," Hussey said.

Former New Zealand opening batsman Mark Richardson agrees.

"I'd be horrified to think that they would. I don't think they would go there at all when he comes back for the test matches. Most of our team is married and has kids," he said.

Some of the best sledges in cricket have been attributed to a variety of characters, some which are probably more folk law than accurate transcripts.

Perhaps the most famous verbal goes to little known Zimbabwean number 11 batsmen Eddo Brandes.

Frustrated at his stubborn resistance, an unnamed bowler walked down the pitch and asked: "Eddo, why are you so fat?" to which Brandes promptly replied: "Because every time I make love to your wife, she gives me a biscuit."

Shane Warne was reportedly a very keen sledger.

Legend has it that as Daryll Cullinan came out to bat one day - who Warne had a successful battle against - the spin bowler taunted him by saying he'd been waiting two years to have another crack at him, leaving Cullinan to retort, "Looks like you spent it eating."

But if New Zealand need any tips on successful verbal taunts come Friday, they should should go no further than Australian selector Merv Hughes, who is regarded as one of the best sledgers to have played the game.

During the 1991 Adelaide test against Pakistan, Javed Miandad said Hughes "looked like a fat bus conductor".

Hughes dismissed the batsmen soon after, running down the pitch yelling "tickets please".

Ad Feedback

- AAP