By IANS
Sydney : Former Australian fast bowler and current Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has slammed the on-field behaviour of the Australian players, saying they are disrespecting the baggy green with their arrogance.
Lawson is quoted in the Herald Sun as saying that the Australians did not play within the spirit of the game in their 122-run second Test win over India at the Sydney Cricket Ground last week.
Lawson made his comments hours after International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed said he had warned Cricket Australia (CA) boss James Sutherland about the conduct of the Australian team.
Speed said the CA needed to be aware of the criticism levelled at the team from media commentators and members of the public.
Lawson said on Sydney radio station 2KY that the Australian cricket team were considered “arrogant” by the rest of the cricket world and it’s time the players were pulled into line for their behaviour.
“There’s certainly been a lot of feeling from ex-players who think the baggy green has been disrespected,” Lawson said.
“Some of these (current) players need to be spoken to. 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 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 feels that about this cricket team,” said Lawson.
Lawson appreciated the way ICC handled the fallout from the fiery Sydney Test and said that sacking of controversial umpire Steve Bucknor from the third Test was “reasonably well” and made a “common sense solution”.
But 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 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,” Lawson said.