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Rediff.com  » Sports » Aussies need counselling: Lawson

Aussies need counselling: Lawson

Source: PTI
January 09, 2008 12:46 IST
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It's not only the Indians who feel that the current Australian cricket team is arrogant.

Geoff Lawson, former Aussie player, believes that the current team doesn't play in the spirit of the game and need "counselling".

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"There's certainly been a lot of feeling from ex-players who think the baggy green has been disrespected," Lawson, currently the coach of the Pakistan cricket team, said.

"Some of these (current) players need to be spoken to. I certainly don't agree with dragging (Ricky) Ponting's captaincy, I just think a bit of counselling needs to be done with how these players perceive themselves.

"As an ex-Australian player I was pretty disappointed. Perception is everything and the outside world thinks that this Australian team is arrogant and not well behaved.

"Whether the team themselves think that is another issue, but I can guarantee you the rest of the cricket world certainly feel that about this cricket team," The Daily Telegraph in Sydney quoted Lawson as saying.

Appreciating the International Cricket Council's handling of the current crisis, Lawson said that the panel made a "common sense solution" in sacking umpire Steve Bucknor from the third Test in Perth.

However, he believes the fallout from the Harbhajan Singh racism charge and the subsequent allegations of on-field verbal abuse by Australia's Brad Hogg could change the cricketing landscape.

Lawson said the tit-for-tat nature of the sledging allegations could open the floodgates to match referee charges and lead to the end of all on-field banter.

"Maybe this is a bit of a watershed in what is said on the field.

"Chat on the field has gone on forever but I've got a feeling what's happened here and particularly the counter charging against Brad Hogg I think from now on teams will actually have to be totally silent on the field because otherwise everyone is going to get reported and the match referee will be having hearings everyday."

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