West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin’s note-showing gesture to Sir Viv Richards after reaching his century against England at Edgbaston only underlines how sensitive cricketers are to criticism. And reputation or ilk don’t matter when it comes to hitting back.u00a0Sure, Ramdin should have allowed Sir Viv to realise himself that what he said about him (“Ramdin has deteriorated in such a big way”) was way off the mark without the note which read, ‘yeh Viv talk nah.’

Richards was glad to have motivated Ramdin and stressed that he had a job to do as a cricket expert, something which players need to realise while dealing with barbs. Not all of them are good at it and understandably so. Cricketers and experts have had a fascinating history. In the 1980s, Kim Hughes, the golden boy of the Australian cricket establishment failed to come to grips with the captaincy and was at the receiving end of sharp critics like Ian Chappell. Hughes’ sympathisers urged Chappell to go slow on Hughes by reminding him that he too was an Australia captain at one point of time. Chappell’s response was as acerbic as his criticism for Hughes: “Mate, I am not the Australian captain now. I am a journalist now and it’s my duty to let my readers know the truth.”