Now, sledging fever singes Australian announcer too

It’s not just the Australia players who are facing the heat for ridiculing Ashes rivals England. The disease seems to be spreading to the larger home camp as well.

It’s not just the Australia players who are facing the heat for ridiculing Ashes rivals England. The disease seems to be spreading to the larger home camp as well.

Cricket Australia has removed a ground announcer for mocking England players during their two-day tour match against a Chairman’s XI in Alice Springs, local media reported on Saturday.

David Nixon was hauled up after introducing England spinner Monty Panesar in an Indian accent. “Cricket Australia deemed the conduct of the PA announcer as inappropriate and as such he will take no further part in the match,” an unnamed CA spokesperson was quoted as saying. The Luton-born Panesar is of Indian descent.

Nixon was also cautioned by CA on Friday for a jibe aimed at England’s Joe Root. The young batsman was involved in a bar-room altercation with Australia opener David Warner during this year’s Ashes series in England. “You can go and have another drink now, Joe,” Nixon commented after Root’s dismissal.

John Inverdale perhaps can take this year’s foot-in-the-mouth award. In July, the BBC commentator made mean comments about the looks of eventual Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli before the French woman took on Sabine Lisicki in the final.w

“I just wonder if her dad, because he has obviously been the most influential person in her life, did say to her when she was 12, 13, 14 maybe, ‘listen, you are never going to be, you know, a looker. You’re never going to be a looker, you’ll never be a Sharapova, so you have to be scrappy and fight’?” he had said. Both Inverdale and his employers apologised to Bartoli.

Ex-Aussie batsman Dean Jones was far more shocking, in 2006. Unaware he was not off-air, his attempt at humour “the terrorist has got another wicket” after South Africa’s Hashim Amla took a catch resulted in his summary sacking by Ten Sports.