A downhill sledge ride

UMPIRE'S POST

The psychological pressure technique is losing efficacy, as others give as good as they get.

Two months ago, Ricky Ponting was riding a crest. In Melbourne, he had just registered a 15th consecutive Test win. Australia was comfortably the world's best team in Tests and ODIs and perhaps Twenty20 as well.

The last few days have been a stark contrast. Having won the Test series 2-1 and lost the tri-series, Ponting is under fire in his own country. Cricket commentators in Australia are advising him a break, even telling him to pull out of IPL.

The $400,000 he would forfeit, they say, will be a reasonable price for his peace of mind. The last thing he needs, according to them, is more cricket.

The team, overall, is under scrutiny. To add to its agony, the team is being analysed with India as the point of reference. For instance, it is being pointed out that India had just one player over 30 in the ODI team; Australia had just three under 30.

The thing that seems to be working against Australia is what earlier gave it the edge. Call it sledging, or the more lofty psychological disintegration, Australians have fed off badmouthing their opponents and unsettling them. Their remorseless intimidation of opponents has been a weapon as much as their cricket skills.

In the past, the response had only been sporadic. The most famous of these was by Zimbabwean tail-end batsman Eddo Brandes, a chicken farmer and sometime cricketer.

Frustrated that Brandes had somehow managed to keep his wicket intact, McGrath walked up to him and asked: "Hey, how come you're so fat?" Brandes instantly replied: "Because every time I make love to your wife, she gives me a biscuit." Even the Australian fielders burst out laughing.

The first concerted retort came from Sourav Ganguly, who in the fabled 2001 series got under Steve Waugh's skin and won a historic series. Dhoni has taken it forward. India has become the first team to give back as good as it gets, not once or twice but each time.

The Indian crowd helped. The monkey chants started in India and look what they have done to Symonds. The fellow can't help getting out to Harbhajan.

The Australians, on the other hand, were under pressure to put up good behaviour. The players were shocked when large sections criticised their overall performance at Sydney.

Following team discussions covering behaviour and attitude, the side retained its spirit-of-cricket pledge and vowed to be "hard but fair". The Perth Test, it is believed, was the quietest and Australia lost in four days.

When it comes to playing cricket, Australia is still better than India. But when the players step onto the field, they don't quite remember what they are doing there.