The Art of Sledging

In these days of cricketing correctness, where codes of behaviour are being handed down by the Cricket Police, here is a salute to the good old days when games were won and lost by whatever means available.

With a great one-liner on every page, this is a collection of crude, rude, famous and infamous sledges all placed within the context of the match and the rivalries on and off the pitch.

Including:

Merv Hughes to Graeme Hick: "Mate, if you just turn the bat over you'll find the instructions on the other side."

Lillie to Gatting: "Hell, Gatt, move out of the way I can't see the stumps."

Woodfull to Jardine: "Which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard?"

Warne to Cullinan: "I've been waiting two years for another chance to humiliate you." Cullinan replies: "Looks like you spent it eating."

The most pathetic sledge of all time from present England Captain Kevin Petersen to Chris Gayle: "You're making me cross. You're making me cross. You're making me cross."

Possibly the rudest of them all, Mark Waugh to Adam Parore: "Oh, I remember you from a couple of years ago in Australia. You were shit then, you're f**king useless now." Parore replies: "Yeah that's me and when I was there you were going out with the old, ugly slut and now I hear you married her. You dumb c**t."

Even teammates have been known to sledge one another, Brian Close to Geoffrey Boycott: "Next bloody ball, bloody belt it or I'll wrap my bat around your bloody head."

And the crowd is not adverse to hurling abuse either "Hey Tuffnell, lend us your brain we are building an idiot!"