Former fast bowler Glenn McGrath has suggested that England and Australia’s players should be fined if caught doing certain things on the field while playing in the Ashes.
Australia head into the fourth test, at the MCG in Melbourne, of the five-match series having already retained the Ashes by going 3-0 up last time out in Adelaide.
Brendon McCullum’s England side are now playing for collective pride, while some out-of-form players’ test careers could be on the line.
And one man who is particularly pleased with Australia’s performance and England’s demise is legendary former bowler and six-time Ashes series winner McGrath.
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The 55-year-old, who is third on Australia’s list of all-time wicket takers with 563 dismissals, is not one to hold back with his opinion on cricket and almost always predicts his nation to beat England 5-0 regardless of form or whether the series is taking place away from home.
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McGrath has called into question England’s mentality, with even the best players in the squad – such as Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes – failing to win a single test touring Australia despite being mainstays of the team for the past decade.
He suggested that England feel they are not only competing against 11 Australian cricketers but also taking on an entire nation during the away series in Australia, while the Aussies “relish” the challenge of facing England away from home.
But apart from the result, the current series has been relatively tame in terms of sledging, with minimal flashpoints between players despite the historic rivalry between the teams.
The topic was discussed on a recent episode of Stick to Cricket, with former England stars David Lloyd and Phil Tufnell agreeing that the “needle” has been lacking in this series.
McGrath then homed in on the on-pitch interactions between the players, and it’s fair to say he doesn’t approve of the friendly nature in which the game has been played.
The 55-year-old joked: “I must say, when I see the batsman, on both sides, walking down the pitch with his arm around the bowler… having a laugh, that’s where the match referee should step in and fine them both, and if it ever happens again, they’re suspended. I think that’s a disgrace.”
Tufnell then claimed he doesn’t like fielding teams congratulating and shaking the hands of batsmen after they score a century.
The former England spinner added: “I’m not shaking his [a batsman’s] hand, he’s probably got me dropped [and] cost me a few quid. I’ll shake his hand in the pub afterwards, but not on the bloody field.”
McGrath then agreed, saying, “I don’t shake their hands on the field”.
The fourth Ashes test gets underway on Boxing Day (December 26) in Melbourne.
Luke Davies