Mr. FrowNEL

Andre Nel, the South African quickie, should easily qualify as one of the most non-sporting cricketers around. His famous glare down the pitch after every delivery leads me to that conclusion. It is, if we believe Mr. Nel, a habit. However habits cannot be cited as an excuse. (If you look at Sachin's attire in one of his earliest pictures, you'll know why.)

Not just the glare, Nel tries to provoke batsmen verbally too. It is something only the Aussies are wont to do. Though a late starter, Nel has surpassed them all! Some tame cricketers (Ganguly, for instance) do get psyched out because of this. Thankfully, Gambhir stood up to the menace, dispatching him to the fence more than once. A minor altercation between the two, and the ensuing warning / advice from the umpires led Nel to overcome "his habit".

There is a larger issue surrounding this, one that has been highlighted by many. Australians and South Africans get away rather easily when it comes to such offences. Umpires and match referees do not view these intimidatory tactics as seriously as something half that magnitude if committed by Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans. This may not be due to racist reasons; maybe their physical stature and cricketing successes intimidate match officials.

I don't remember one occasion on which Nel or his spiritual father, a certain Mr. Glenn McGrath, were warned for their unsporting behaviour. Yet, match officials start thinking up innovative interpretations of ICC rules whenever others take to the field.

The warning that Nel received from the umpires should set him right, and serve as a precedent for others as well. It is time we rid the game of such provocative behaviour. After all, Nel and McGrath are capable of intimidating batsmen with their bowling alone.