Ashes 2019 | It’s about time umpires intervened and put an end to constant sledging, says Ian Chappell

Day three of the final Ashes Test match saw England edge well ahead of Australia – a rare occasion in the context of the entire series. Although their bowlers delivered some high-quality spells, the English batsmen – led by opener Joe Denly – stretched their 69-run first-innings lead up to 382 at the end of the play. 

Amid all this, the day also saw some banter, sledges and plenty of vocal advises being thrown around. Ben Stokes apparently called David Warner “a f***ing p***k” while Australian captain Tim Paine is believed to have called the all-rounder “Bristol” - which was a dig to his brawl outside a nightclub in 2017. Although the Aussie skipper brushed it aside as part and parcel of the game, Chappell was adamant in his opposition to such rhetoric.

“It’s about time the bloody umpires intervened. Every time I read it’s part of the game I think it’s the greatest load of rubbish I’ve ever heard. The batsman is entitled to peace and quiet when he’s out there batting,” Chappell said on Sports Sunday.

The main villain in the whole saga has been Wade, who has barely kept quiet during the entire duration of the series. Wade even took aim at umpire Dharmasena after an appeal was turned down.

“If I’m a batsman, I’m not putting up with that. If the umpires don’t step in and stop Matthew Wade, I’m going to bloody shut him up as a batsman. Administrators, players, umpires, coaches the whole lot (say) ’it’s all part of the game’. It’s not part of the game. It’s a load of bollocks,” Chappell added.