Turning up stump mic could curb sledging, says Moeen Ali
LONDON: England all-rounder Moeen Ali differs with coach Trevor Bayliss and believes turning up the stump microphones could curb sledging in cricket.
West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was banned for four ODIs on Wednesday after he was found guilty of ‘personal abuse’ aimed at England skipper Joe Root in the St Lucia Test.
It follows a similar four-match ban on Sarfraz Ahmed after stump microphones caught the Pakistan captain’s on-field rant at South Africa all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo during a ODI in Durban last month.
“It’s time for people to behave themselves,” Moeen said before flying to the West Indies for the five-match ODI series beginning at Bridgetown on Wednesday.
“Turn the stump mics up. Why turn them down? So people can swear? There is no reason to get personal.
“... it’s the way society is: things come out of people’s mouths. You’re not going to get away with it. You’ve to be careful.” The 31-year-old’s view contrasts that of Bayliss who advocates turning down the microphones to protect players.
“I’ve said it once before, I’m not in favour of it and I’m not going to change my mind,” Bayliss said before Gabriel’s ban.
“I think (stump mics) should be down. I know there are people who think the opposite and think it is good for the game but sometimes in the heat of battle things are said, when guys given a bit of time to sit down and think about it would give themselves a bit of a kick up the backside.”