/ Dan Fitch / 13 January 2011 /

Dan Fitch looks at the best cricket sledges ever designed to put a batsman off his stroke.

These days, almost as big a part of the game as scoring runs and taking wickets, is the ability to come up with the wittiest sledges.

When the Cricket World Cup kicks off in February, you can be sure that there will be plenty of sledging going on, particularly if Australia are involved.

The Aussies are the undoubted masters of the sledge and in our collection of the 20 greatest ever sledges, almost all of them involve at least one Australian.

20. Charles Kortright to WG Grace

Frustrated by the umpire's refusal to give Grace out, Kortright finally knocked two of Grace's stumps out of the ground. As Grace walked back to the pavillion, Kortright called after him.

Kortright: "Surely you're not going, doctor? There's still one stump standing."

19. Ian Healey to Nasser Hussain

When Nasser Hussain went to the crease, Steve Waugh directed Ricky Ponting to put the pressure on him, only for Ian Healey to add his two cents.

Waugh: Field at silly point. I want you right under his nose.
Healey: That could be anywhere inside a three mile radius.

18. Glenn McGrath v Eddo Brandes

McGragh: "Oi, Brandes, why the hell are you so fat?"
Brandes: "Because every time I f**k your wife she gives me a biscuit".

17. Malcolm Marshall to David Boon

Marshall: "Now David, Are you going to get out now or am I going to have to bowl around the wicket and kill you?"

16. Merv Hughes to Viv Richards

Hughes is staring at Richards. The West Indies batsman has had enough.

Richards: "This is my island, my culture. Don't you be staring at me. In my culture we just bowl."

Hughes: "In my culture we just say f**k off."

15. Glenn McGrath to Michael Atherton

McGrath: "Athers it would help if you got rid of the shit at the end of your bat."

Atherton looks at the bottom of his bat.

McGrath: "No, No, the other end."

14. Ravi Shastri v Mike Whitney

Shastri hits the ball towards the Australian 12th man Whitney and looks for a single.

Whitney: "If you leave the crease I'll break your f*****g head"

Shastri: "If you could bat as well as you can talk you wouldn't be the f*****g 12th man."

13. Ian Healey to Arjuna Ranatunga

Shane Warne had been struggling to tempt the porky Sri Lankan batsman Arjuna
Ranatunga out of the crease, when his wicketkeeper makes a suggestion.

Healey: "Put a Mars Bar on a good length. That should do it."

12. Merv Hughes to Graham Gooch

Gooch has played at and missed a number of consecutive deliveries from Merv Hughes.

Hughes: "I'll get you a piano instead to see if you can play that."

11. Viv Richards to Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar comes into bat after dropping down the order from opening batsman, to number four.

Richards: "Man, it don't matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero."

10. Fred Trueman to Raman Subba Row

A ball hit off Trueman's delivery goes through his team-mate's Subba Row's legs for a boundary. Row apologises to the England bowler.

Row: Sorry Fred. I should have kept my legs together.

Trueman: Not you, son. You're mother should have.

9. Ian Healey to Arjuna Ranatunga

Arjuna Ranatunga calls for a runner during a particularly hot one day match in Sydney.

Healey: "You don't get a runner for being an overweight, unfit, fat c***!"

8. Adam Parore vs Mark Waugh

Waugh: "Oh, I remember you from a couple years ago in Australia. You were s**t then, you're f*****g useless now."

Parore: "That's me, and when I was there you were going out with that old, ugly s**t and now I hear you've married her."

7. Greg Thomas v Viv Richards

Greg Thomas rather unwisely decides to taunt Viv Richards after the West Indies batsman plays at and misses a couple of deliveries.

Thomas: "It weighs about 5 ounces, it's red, shiny, round and you're supposed to hit it."

Richards hits the next ball from Thomas for six.

Richards: "You know what it looks like, you go find it."

6. Glenn McGragh v Ramnaresh Sarwan

McGrath: "So what does Brian Lara's d**k taste like?"

Sarwan: "I don't know. Ask your wife. "

McGrath (losing it): "If you ever F*****g mention my wife again, I'll f*****g rip your f*****g throat out."

5. Merv Hughes v Robin Smith

Hughes: "You can't f*****g bat."

Smith hits Hughes for four.

Smith: "Hey Merv, we make a fine pair. I can't f*****g bat and you can't f*****g bowl."

4. Daryll Cullinan vs Shane Warne

Warne: "I've been waiting two years for the opportunity to humiliate you in front of your own crowd."

Cullinan: "Looks like you spent it eating."

3. Mark Waugh v Jamie Siddons

Siddons, who was regarded as one of the best Australian cricketers to have never been capped by his country, was tired of Waugh's antics as he took an age taking guard in a Sheffield Shield match.

Siddons: "For Christ's sake, it's not a Test match."
Waugh: "Of course it isn't. You're here."

2. Rodney Marsh v Ian Botham

Marsh: "How's your wife and my kids?"
Botham: "The wife's fine. The kids are retarded."

1. Mark Waugh v James Ormond

Waugh: "Mate, what are you doing out here? There's no way you're good enough to play for England."

Ormond: "Maybe not, but at least I'm the best player in my own family."

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