Donna Gee’s rather mischievous article about Dilhara Fernando’s non-delivery in the Sri Lanka vs England World Cup game recently unleashed howls of protest about what is and isn’t fair on the sporting field. The consensus seemed to be that everything was fair when it comes to competing for your nation – provided it’s not your nation that is disadvantaged.

If Fernando deliberately ran through the crease as a tactic to upset the batsman then it’s disappointing, and he has to live with that. Similarly, when Brendon McCullum ran out Muttiah Muralitharan, it was within the rules and McCullum has only his conscience to deal with. What supporters cannot do is say that one is OK and the other is not.

On-field antics such as sledging or delaying tactics, when done correctly, are all part of the game and well within the rules. Silly talk about the “spirit of the game” is a waste of breath; any notion that cricket still has a spirit worth protecting died with Bob Woolmer.

The argument that this “gamesmanship” is the antithesis of sportsmanship is nonsense. Sportsmanship is a quaint old-fashioned, but seriously outdated ideal. It’s not dead, but the grand gestures such as John Landy stopping mid-race to pick up a fallen Ron Clarke are a thing of the past.

There are, of course, the ritualised forms of sportsmanship such as footballers kicking the ball into touch when a player is injured, or the fast bowler who will go to check on a batsman who he has just been hit in the head (although one suspects that the bowler is just looking to see if he’s managed to draw blood). These things are not so much sportsmanship as convention; they are done because it is expected, not because anyone really believes that it is the right thing to do.

There are, however, still isolated instances to give hope to those who believe such things are important. Adam Gilchrist became known as a serial “walker” even when given not out by umpires – most famously in the 2003 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka. However, even this seemingly innocent habit attracted negative attention, with Gilchrist being labelled a "crusader" by New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.

Sportsmanship aside, the Australian cricket side have a reputation for being over the top with their approach to gamesmanship. They are accused of being too aggressive, arrogant, even offensive in their on-field behaviour (they even use naughty language!). While there may be an element of truth to that, sledging and mind games are not a new phenomenon. The great WG Grace himself was no stranger to intimidation, once even refusing to leave the pitch when given out by the umpire; his rationale was that people had come to see him bat, not see his opponent bowl.

It’s laughable to suggest that this is a uniquely Australian approach, despite the fact that the Aussie cricket team have turned it into an art form. No-one on the planet does it better than the Americans - however, if we restrict the discussion to cricket, there are numerous examples of non-Aussies who thrived on gamesmanship.

Ian Botham, the great all-rounder, was no shrinking violet. He would get into the head of the opposition in whatever way possible, verbally or through his actions. More recently, Paul Nixon’s complete inability to shut up has earned him a reputation as one of the most annoying players in world cricket. He’s not particularly clever or witty about what he says, but there is no doubt that the aim of his constant rambling is to upset the concentration of the batsman.

Aussie cricket fans will never forget the belligerent, toad-like Arjuna Ranatunga arguing and waving his fingers at anyone who got in his way – players or umpires. Javed Miandad was another who rarely left his opponents in any doubt as to what he was thinking. The list is endless – Lance Cairns, Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Glenn McGrath, Andre Nel, Ian Chappell, Rod Marsh – all fine exponents of sledging and mind games.

Occasionally, however, it will all get out of hand. It’s hard to forget the image of Miandad squaring up to Dennis Lillee mid-pitch after Lillee tried to kick him as he ran past. Similarly, personal confrontations such as that between McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan and racist outbursts such as the efforts by Dean Jones and Darren Lehmann are completely unacceptable on the cricket pitch.

“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that counts” – what cr*p. This is the mantra of the weak and inept and anyone who thinks that this carries any weight in modern sport is mad. Despite all of the self-righteous articles complaining about Ricky Ponting and the Australian approach, all people really care about is whether their team wins.

If you have any doubt about how irrelevant it is that Ponting is allegedly a bad sportsman, try finding any article, anywhere, that congratulates India on their display of sportsmanship throughout the World Cup. All you will find are articles calling for changes with the Indian coach, the players, the board, sponsors and everyone else associated with the team - even by some of those who protested loudest about how uncivilised the Aussies are. Why? Because winning really is all that matters. Everything else is just window dressing.

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