10 February,2011 10:27 AM IST | | AFP
Ahead of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, AFP Sport presents some of the best (or worst) sledging exchanges down the years:
- Rod Marsh and Ian Botham:
When Botham took guard in an Ashes match, Marsh welcomed him with: "So how's your wife and my kids?" to which Botham shot back: "The wife's fine, but the kids are retarded."
- South Africa batsman Daryll Cullinan and Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne:
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As Cullinan was on his way to the wicket, Warne told him he had been waiting two years for another chance to humiliate him. "Looks like you spent it eating," Cullinan retorted.
- Robin Smith of England and Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes:
Hughes said to Smith after he played and missed: "You can't ''''''' bat". Smith to Hughes after he smacked him to the boundary: "Hey Merv, we make a fine pair. I can't ''''''' bat and you can't ''''''' bowl."
- Hughes and Pakistan's Javed Miandad:
Javed called Hughes a fat bus conductor. A few balls later Hughes dismissed the Pakistan star: "Tickets please", said Hughes as he ran past the departing batsman.
- England's James Ormond had just come out to bat and was greeted by Australia's Mark Waugh:
Waugh from the slips: "What are you doing out here? There's no way you're good enough to play for England." Ormond: "Maybe not, but at least I'm the best player in my family."
- Warne and Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga:
Wicketkeeper Ian Healy believed he knew a way of tempting the portly Ranatunga out of his crease - "Put a Mars Bar on a good length. That should do it."
- England captain Douglas Jardine and Australian counterpart Bill Woodfull during the notorious Bodyline series:
After Jardine complained that one of the Australian players called him a b''''''. Woodfull turned to his team, pointed to Jardine and asked: "Which one of you b''''''' called this b'''''' a b''''''?"
- Sunil Gavaskar of India and West Indies' Viv Richards:
Gavaskar, normally an opener, had decided to bat at number four, but Malcolm Marshall dismissed Anshuman Gaekwad and Dilip Vengsarkar for ducks, setting the stage for Gavaskar to walk in at 0-2. Richards said: "Man, it don't matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero."
- Richards and England fast bowler Greg Thomas:
Thomas: (Describing the ball) "It's red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering." Richards: (Having smacked said ball out of the ground) "You know what it looks like, now you go and find it."
