Cricket administrators and leaders are faced with the daunting task of taking drastic steps to remove an element that has insidiously crept into the game. Unless, of course, those running cricket are content to witness the erosion of its status as "the gentleman's game".

With the amount of "sledging", "mental disintegration", and other negative verbal comments made to opponents on the field, cricket is running the risk of losing that unique status. I'm afraid the game has imported crass behaviours from other sports, where the tone of unfriendly rivalry permeates the contest in a virtually hostile environment.

Even with recent changes in the Laws intended to discourage "sledging", I am informed that the activity is still encouraged and applauded by many, who put winning before other important attributes of the game. The penalty-system approach to sledging is merely a band-aid solution to a problem that needs to be completely removed.

The existence of this element in the sport damages some fundamental principles and philosophies that the game has been associated with for centuries. Negative comments to opposing players, for example, are contrary to our basic courtesy of respect to our fellow man, a long-proclaimed value. Respect for the dignity of our fellow human beings should not be limited to our family and friends, but should extend to all we come into contact with, even in friendly rivalry.

Some disguise the untoward behaviour by using euphemistic language like "mental disintegration" to describe it. The term conveys the idea of some sort of psychological strategy, utilising verbal comments to weaken the opposition. I'm willing to wager that if one were to list specific examples of "mental disintegration", they will be tantamount to unsportsmanlike comments. Even if the term were to reflect subtle nuances and distinctions in verbal comments, the overall effect of it is damaging to the game.

Major cricketing countries who practice this behaviour, however subtly, should understand that when it filters down to club level it has disastrous effects, and can culminate in unnecessary animosities and even violence. Sledging seems to encourage athletes who have a propensity to be rude and belligerent to exacerbate their unsportsmanlike qualities. Club cricketers look at Test cricketers as their heroes and try to emulate their every action. More desirable exemplary conduct must be visible at the top level.

In an environment that encourages sledging, those who derive fulfillment from the altruistic and humanitarian dimensions of the game by engendering a spirit of camaraderie among their opponents, find themselves changing an innate attitude of friendliness to one of hostility when they are constantly bombarded by remarks. Some have even lost interest in the game as a result.

In Associate countries, where a lot of energy is spent introducing the game to youngsters at grassroots level, the sport has a special appeal when it is presented as an activity that involves respect, good sportsmanship and character. Ambassadors of the game rely on these qualities to attract new audiences, and parents react positively to a game that offers these potential attributes to their children.

The onus of responsibility for ensuring that bad behaviour does not surface lies not only with cricket authorities but also with captains on the field. Players themselves have to curb these tendencies, for often umpires are not aware of subtle remarks made by close-to-the-wicket fieldsmen to opposing batsmen.

Changes in the Laws involving penalties are not enough to suppress the negative comments made on the cricket field. There has to be a universal acceptance by cricketers that this behaviour does nothing to enhance the game. It detracts from its fundamental qualities and should therefore be eschewed. Those who engage in negative and belittling comments on the field, while not enhancing their own cause, are indeed robbing cricket of the good name that is its distinguishing characteristic.

Ben Seebaran is President of the British Columbia Cricket Association in Canada.

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