Australia used to railroad teams and it got out of hand, reveals Ian Gould

04/22/2020

Ian Gould has admitted that the Australian team sledged a bit too much on teams, calling it ‘railroad,’ and also revealed that it got out of hand at times. Gould also recalled the 2014 Test between India and Australia as the most surreal game, for two days, before things turned ugly.

Days after Michael Clarke called the current team a bit too soft to be the Australian cricketing team, former English umpire Ian Gould recalled the ‘railroading,’ Australian team. He added it between 2014 and 2018, the Australian team were bullish in their treatment towards the opposition, with them sometimes crossing boundaries and limits.

“They used to railroad teams a little bit and it got out of hand. You would stand back and think ‘wow’.The first real incident during that time was Australia against India in Adelaide shortly after poor Phillip Hughes had passed away (in 2014)," said Gould, reported India Today.

In the Adelaide Test against India, Australia got off to the best of starts, with David Warner, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith putting on a fabulous show, scoring centuries. However, in the second innings when India were batting, Australia peppered the visitors with short-deliveries and the choicest of words. Gough recalled the last three days of the game ‘like a war’ out there.

“It was the most surreal game of cricket for two days that I have ever known. But for the next three days it was like a war out there."