15 March 2018
Almost all of us were bullied at school and perhaps even at work. I am sure you shudder, as I do, when we remember.
This week South Africa’s best bowler not only shouted in the face of Australian batsmen, he also shoulder tapped the Australian cricket captain on the field of play.
Verbal abuse boiled over into physical contact just as it does in the playground and in the community.
This was largely poo-pooed by cricket commentators, cricket administrators and retired players. They said it is ‘part of the game’ What rubbish. Bullying has no part in organised sport just as it has no place anywhere.
Cricketers who sledge each other do so to intimidate opponents to make mistakes.
It is hard enough to raise children to be polite and considerate and not to bully others without TV footage in every cricket game of players bullying each other.
This has got to stop!
As CEO of the Billion Child Foundation which has trained over 300,000 parents to raise their children to become confident, polite, self-reliant individuals who will succeed as adults I call upon the MCC to immediately ban and severely punish any cricketer who attempts through gesture or voice to intimidate an opponent.
Please join me in emailing the MCC at reception@mcc.org.uk insisting that Law 42.2.1 be amended to read “using language or gestures which are obscene, offensive, insulting and intimidatory”. Please send a copy toe the ICC at enquiry@icc-cricket.com