Australian PM calls for more civility in cricket

By IANS

Sydney : Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called for more civility in cricket, responding to national captain Ricky Ponting’s remarks related to the unsavoury events during the home series against India.


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Rudd’s views are in support of Governor-General Michael Jeffery who stirred a debate surrounding the recent Test series, lamenting the loss of grace and courtesy from the game.

Jeffery’s comments drew a sharp response from Ponting Thursday, as he accused him of living in the 1950s and not understanding that cricket was now a fully professional sport.

But Rudd said that there was always room for manners in the toughest competition. He added he is not apportioning blame to either team and believed that most people would agree with Jeffery.

“I think the governor-general’s perfectly entitled to express his point of view. It’s a tough and competitive business, (but) you can conduct it with a bit of civility,” he was quoted as saying by The Australian newspaper.

“In politics, we are, shall we say, less than civil to one another. So, I’m very cautious about preaching from glasshouses here. With the history of the game of cricket, I think people would like a bit more civility as well.”

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