Over the wicket: Sreesanth's temper is his No 1 enemy

S. Sreesanth has again been fined for unruly behaviour during the Cape Town Test match. Once again he has crossed the boundaries of cricket ethics by kicking the boundary rope in anger when two of his appeals were turned down by the umpire,

Some players never learn from their mistakes and Sreesanth is set to figure prominently in that list. It seems as if Sreesanth is not aware that the term appeal means only a ‘request' and not a ‘demand'. Once an appeal is turned down, the player must carry on with the game and not waste time through his various expressions, which are often sickening to watch.

Sreesanth must be aware that as much as people regard him as a fine bowler, he is disliked for his temperamental behaviour. When he trapped Jacques Kallis with an unplayable bouncer, it made everyone proud of him, but within no time he managed to wipe off all that respect he earned from his fans.

Sreesanth's appeal by going down on his knees reminded me of a bowler whom I had played with in an inter-zonal match in Kerala.

This bowler, instead of appealing to the umpire, preferred to appeal in the direction of the selectors seated beyond the long off boundary!

Sreesanth will be able to remain a fine bowler provided he focuses on the game and controls his temper. As a result of his tantrums in Cape Town, he returned with no wickets from his 24 overs in the second innings.

It is high time he realises that even people from his home state detest him for his unruly behaviour. So when Sreesanth expressed his desire to play for the Kochi IPL team, letters poured in to our paper pleading not to pick him for the team fearing its destruction. So much for his reputation despite his talent.

Wonder why he fails to take a few lessons from Sachin Tendulkar on anger management. In the recently concluded Test, despite being repeatedly sledged by South African pacer Dale Steyn, Tendulkar refused to succumb to it. He batted on as if Steyn did not matter to him but only his deliveries.

The day Sreesanth starts to focus on taking wickets with a firm control on his on-field behaviour, his rise to become India's best pacer will also commence.

Till then he will remain a doubtful starter, subject to the form of other pacers. And should he refuse to reform quickly, he will soon be known as a self-destroyer rather than a destroyer of batting line-ups.

How do you think such behaviour affects the game? How should players who act this way be dealt with? Tell us what you think by posting a comment below.