5 times when cricketers abused opponents on the field

Sledging has become a modern part and parcel of sports. It is referred to as a way of getting into the mind of the opposition and also disrupt the natural flow. Sledging basically refers to a cheeky comment between two or more individuals on the field. A bit of sledging brings back a bit of energy to the field as well.

The problem here though becomes when the line is crossed. Some experts say, sledging until there personal remarks made or any abuse is exchanged. There is a very clear line between friendly banter and abusing when it comes to sledging. Some players just cross the line in some instances.

Here are five instances when cricketers abused opponents on the field:

1. Jos Buttler abusing Vernon Philander in his last Test series

Well, this is a recent incident and it could be surprising as Jos Buttler is probably one of the nicest cricketers going around the world of cricket. During the Test match in Cape Town in December 2019, South Africa was batting under a bit of pressure. Vernon Philander, who was playing his last Test series, had just nudged a ball to extra cover where the English captain Joe Root was standing.

Root threw the ball back to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, but Philander was standing in the middle of the throw. The ball didn’t hit the batsman and landed safely into Buttler’s gloves but somehow it triggered him. The England wicketkeeper told Philander, “You need to f*****g move”. Furthermore, Buttler abused Philander quite badly. He had no respect for the Proteas veteran. He got some support from the slip cordon where Ben Stokes was standing.

Buttler went on to say a couple more harsh words to Philander. The South African didn’t say anything but only stared at the two Englishmen abusing him. Unfortunately, everything which Buttler said was heard clearly on the stump mic.