Sulieman Benn: A non Aussie sledger

Well whenever the word sledging is heard or is making news, the first name team that comes to everyone's mind is the Aussies starting from Dennis Lillie and Steve Waugh to the present day's players like Brett Lee, Ponting and Hayden. Their sledging is not restricted to on the field alone. Off the field as well, Aussies are masters of sledging which is quite evident from the story of Mathew Hayden calling Harbhajan Singh "an obnoxious weed" some three years down the lane during the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2007-08 and the Commonwealth Bank series that followed. Whatever, that series can be called as mother of sledging.

That series involved everything about sledging starting from the eight umpiring decisions that went wrong and the "monkey" word said to be uttered by Harbhajan Singh at Symonds. Then there was the egg throwing incident on the Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (of course not by any of the Australian players) who had come to participate in the Commonwealth Bank series that followed the 4 match India - Australia tests. Finally the Commonwealth Bank series not only ended with India winning the trophy and Adam Gilchrist & Brad Hogg bidding adieu but also with the incident of a streaker being hit by Andrew Symonds on the field.

Anyways, all these were just a recap of how ugly can sledging can get when it crosses the line and also when it doesn't. However, it seems that it is the birth right of an Australian player to say anything about their opponents and the fact that they have been and are today also unbeatable supports their on field deeds. But, outside the Aussie world as well, sledging has its own share but a bit more ugly one. The list includes India's Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh & Zaheer Khan offlate, Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akthar and the latest to join the list has happened to be West Indian Sulieman Benn.

This is the 2^nd time that the West Indian has been seen making news for the wrong reasons, after he was first time banned for doing so in the three match test series against Australia late last year when he had an on field spat with the Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson. This time again, the West Indian is found doing the same and is penalized by none other than the West Indian captain Chris Gayle who asked him to leave the field after the captain decided that Benn was not needed anymore. Though being unable to make a mark in cricket, such things can easily make Benn make headlines.