abstract
| - Sledging is a form of good-natured gamesmanship often employed by Australian cricketers to enhance both their and their opponents' enjoyment of any given match. It was recently deemed illegal for non-Australians to partake in this activity due to its disastrous effect on Australian egos, the poor lambs. Sledging is a verbal art that can take many forms, the most common of which is a tongue-in-cheek running commentary on how an opposition player is performing. For instance, after an English batsman has tried to hit the ball but missed, an Australian wicketkeeper might waggishly remark to the bowler that "He had no fucking idea about that one, the useless fucking prick." To which the bowler might respond by enquiring of the batsman: "How about I bowl you a fucking piano and see if you can fucking play that, you fucking Pommie poofter?" Sledging has been a proud Australian tradition for many years now. One early example of sledging was a quip from Rod Marsh to Ian Botham: "So, how's your wife and my kids?" To which Botham famously replied: "The wife's fine, but the kids are retarded." Other forms of sledging can range from performing an imitation of a pigeon (to humorously suggest that the batsman is not quite world-class) to asking a West Indian player what his captain's cock tastes like. Should any given West Indian reply by saying "I don't know. Why don't you ask your wife?", the time-honoured response is to say "Mention my wife again and I'll rip your fucking throat out."
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