ASHES CRICKET

Sledging war likely to fire up at WACA

STEVE Smith and the Australians are winning the cricket — and they’re winning the war of words.

It’s been surprising the sparring has carried on into the public domain too, which is unusual, with both captains leading the charge at press conferences.

In Adelaide this week it was obvious to all that when Smith walked out to bat there seemed to be a conscious effort by Joe Root, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson to get in the face of and verbal the home skipper.

Now, depending on who you listen to, this has either been a roaring success (Jimmy) or a complete waste of time (Smithy).

“I think it did work, yeah, because we got him out quite cheaply,” Anderson said.

“Just trying to get someone out of their little bubble and unsettle them is a good thing.

“At that point in time Steve seemed more interested in having a chat with me and Stuart then actually focusing on his job.”

Smith, after steering his side to a 2-0 series lead, saw it a differently.

“I think they actually switched me on,” he countered. “It was when they stopped talking to me that I might have lost concentration. I actually enjoyed it. It made me really focused, it got me in my little bubble ...”

So the sledging either burst or built the bubble. Go figure.

At the moment while the byplay has at times been very heated from both teams, it’s mostly been accompanied by a smile and been in the right spirit. But the banter could boil over in Perth. With the Ashes on the line and the Poms staring down the barrel of a 5-0 whitewash, the emotion could reach fever pitch — a bit like the WACA Ground wicket.

For mine, the art of sledging is all about unsettling your opponent to the point where they lose concentration and focus.

It’s about being subtle, clever and humorous rather than loud bravado. It’s about making a batsman think of something other than what he should be.