Former Blackcaps bowler Shane Bond blasts Australia for being 'poor winners'

  • 10/03/2018
Bond fears Australia's sledging could see Test cricket die out.
Bond fears Australia's sledging could see Test cricket die out. Photo credit: Getty

Former Blackcaps bowler Shane Bond believes Test cricket could be on its way out if the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn't crack down on Australia's sledging.

It comes after David Warner and Quinton de Kock were involved in an altercation during the first Test between Australia and South.

The pair were caught on CCTV exchanging words as the players returned to their dressing rooms at tea on day four.

Bond looks to the future of Test with very little optimism and criticised Australia's hypocrisy when it comes to sledging.

"If this is the sort of behaviour you're going to see, it's just going to be another death nail for the game because people think this is just an opportunity for grown men to act like idiots," Bond told Trackside Radio.

"Everyone's going to have a tipping point and I think that's what Australia are renowned for.

"I know they make it personal, some of the stuff they say they wouldn't be too proud if it came out.

"They're just relentless; they'll just keep coming and abusing you.

"They call it gamesmanship, I just call it poor behaviour, they're poor winners, so they will carry on when they are winning which is a time you don't need to but you don't see them doing it too much when they're getting their backsides handed to them."

Warner was fined 75 percent of his match fee by the ICC and given three demerit points, but avoided suspension.

Bond playing against Australia in 2010.
Bond playing against Australia in 2010. Photo credit: Photosport

Bond has called for the governing body to make greater of examples of players who cross the line.

"The responsibility and the job to stop that is the match referee and the umpires, and the ICC have got to back them up," Bond told Trackside Radio.

"Fifteen percent of a match-fee or forty percent means nothing, but if you cop a three-game suspension or cop a 100-grand fine, then you'll very quickly see that sort of behaviour get knocked out of the game."

Bond also alluded to the rise of Twenty20 cricket and believes people will eventually be turned away from the longer format of the game.

 "Test cricket's under enough pressure as it is. If you keep getting carry-on from teams like this, parents et cetera are going to switch off," Bond told Trackside Radio.

"You see a complete different situation with T20. It's been marketed for families, they want kids along and if they are going to get kids and family along to watch a product, then they can't have their players carrying on like pork chops and again.

"If you're just going to sell cricket to a very narrow market, the game's inevitably going to die."

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