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| June 18, 2008 | Wednesday | Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1429 |
Harvey laments Aussies’ conduct
SYDNEY, June 17: Legendary Australian batsman Neil Harvey has reiterated that he does not approve of the abrasive behaviour of his country’s contemporary cricketers and wants them to rebuild their shattered reputation.
Harvey, 79, was joined by another team-mate from the ‘1948 Invincibles’, Sam Loxton, in asking Australian captain Ricky Ponting to do something immediately about his team’s on-field behaviour, a report in the Herald Sun said.
“I have said my bit about their behaviour, which Ponting doesn’t like,” Harvey said on the 60th anniversary of the harmonious ‘1948 Invincibles’ tour of England, of which he was the youngest member.
Harvey was particularly incensed by what the Australian players did during the last summer home series against the Indians and said so at that time, but Ponting retorted saying nobody cared to listen to the great left-handed batsman.
“I don’t really give a stuff what he says. I disliked their behaviour in the last Indian series [last summer] and I told them via press. Ponting’s retort was that nobody listens to Neil Harvey any more, anyway.”
Harvey found it strange that Ponting himself says his team needed to improve its image without making an effort to refurbish their image.
“If that’s the way he feels, then good luck to him. But I find it very strange he sometimes comes out and says they do have to improve their behaviour. So why don’t they do it?” Harvey asked.
“All of this sledging garbage started in Ian Chappell’s era and it has got progressively worse as years have gone by. I blame the captain as he is in charge. He should get them all together and say, ‘We have got an image, we have got to abide by it’. But they don’t.”
Harvey received a strong support for his stance from Loxton, who said Ponting needed to do something immediately.
“I would refer anybody to Don Bradman’s book, Farewell to Cricket,” Loxton, 87, said. “Bradman’s last two lines are these: ‘Without doubt laws of cricket and conduct of game are a great example to the world’.”—Agencies
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