Barking Aussies panned for boorish behaviour

Image
AFP Sydney
Last Updated : Mar 07 2014 | 10:55 AM IST
Australians have acclaimed their cricket team's epic series win over South Africa, but not the manner in which they achieved it.
Michael Clarke's team Wednesday clinched a 2-1 series win over the world's number one-ranked Test side just months after thrashing England 5-0 in their home Ashes series.
But just as Australia dominated the South Africans with their aggressive brand of cricket under coach Darren Lehmann, the team was rebuked by sections of the media on Friday over their on-field behaviour during the final Cape Town Test.
"Darren Lehmann has guided the Australian cricket side to the top of the world. His next challenge is to control it," News Ltd cricket columnist Robert Craddock said.
"Australian fans like to see their side play tough cricket but social media in Australia yesterday had strong feedback from fans wanting their side to behave better.
"The sight of Michael Clarke angrily confronting umpires and Australian fieldsmen barking like dogs at batsmen left a lot of people cold and alienated from the team and its success."
Some Australian cricketers were pictured howling following the dismissal of South African batsman Faf du Plessis, in reaction to Du Plessis's comments likening them to "a pack of dogs" in the field.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said the barking dogs incident might have been childish, but he saw it as funny.
"That's just typical childish cricketers, but he (Du Plessis) asked for that with his comments a few days earlier," Sutherland said in a radio interview.
"Some people might not see the humour in that but I did.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 07 2014 | 10:55 AM IST

Next Story