'Harden up': South Africa fires back over 'deplorable' cricket saga
South African cricket captain Dean Elgar has issued a blunt response to Bangladesh after being accused of crossing the line with their sledging in last week's crushing first Test win.
Bangladesh accused the Proteas players of engaging in "deplorable" and "unbearable sledging" after the visitors were bowled out for just 53 runs in the second innings of the Durban Test.
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Bangladesh were left fuming at the standard of umpiring from South African duo Adrian Holdstock and Marais Erasmus, and called for neutral officials to be appointed in the future.
Bangladesh Cricket Board cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus said Elgar's side also crossed the line with its sledges during a frequently tetchy match.
He said: "They surrounded [Mahmudul Hasan] Joy when he went out to bat. They were saying something. He couldn't say anything back since he is a junior player.
"It was deplorable. Instead of controlling the situation, the umpires warned our players whenever we made complaints.
"Sledging definitely took place from both sides, but when they started it and took it overboard, we complained to the umpires.
"It wasn't acceptable. We properly condemn it. We have to accept the umpires' decisions, but the ICC must reinstate neutral umpires."
Responding to the drama before the second Test between the sides in Port Elizabeth, Elgar said South Africa played the game hard but stopped short of swearing or using foul language towards their opponents.
"I don't think they (the complaints) are justified whatsoever," Elgar said.
"We play the game hard (but) if anything we were just giving back what we were getting when we were batting.
"This is Test cricket. It's a man's environment when it comes to playing at this level and I intend still to play the game hard.
"We don't swear or use foul language towards the Bangladesh batsmen because we still respect them. I think they need to harden up and maybe play the game at a level they're not used to," said Elgar.
Umpiring under the spotlight after first Test
The South African captain said the message to his players was: "We do everything with dignity and we don't throw our badge or our name away.
"I honestly didn't see any bad sledging out there, even from their side. I just think this is Test cricket and we need to dry our eyes sometimes."
The umpiring in Durban was in the spotlight with an unusually high number of 21 reviews – 11 by Bangladesh and 10 by South Africa – with four reviews upheld for each team.
South Africans Marais Erasmus and Adrian Holdstock were the men in charge under the ICC's coronavirus restrictions, leading the Bangladeshis to call for neutral umpires.
"The umpiring was tough," said Elgar. "I don't think the wicket helped. There was variable bounce which can challenge the umpires.
"I feel for them because they are good umpires. The human factor needs to be spoken of, they do make errors, as do the players, but I'm pretty sure they're going to learn a lot out of that.
"The umpires make decisions and we need to respect that. The technology is there for a reason. If you don't use the technology you're kind of holding yourself accountable for their decisions as well."
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque referred only briefly to the Durban controversy during his pre-match press conference, denying that he personally had complained about the South African team's behaviour.
"I never complained about sledging. In cricket sledging happens and you have to absorb it," he said.
with agencies
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