Behave better: Aus PM to Ponting

Aus PM Paul Rudd has insisted that he strongly felt the country's cricketers should exhibit more civility on the field.

Refusing to accept captain Ricky Ponting’s justification for growing number of conflicts on the field, Australian Prime Minister has insisted that he strongly felt the country’s current lot of cricketers should exhibit more civility on the field.

“In politics, we are shall we say less than civil to one another so I’m very cautious about preaching from glass houses here,” Rudd said

“But I think the nation would expect of us in the political sphere to be more civil towards one another in the future. With the history of the game of cricket, I think people would like a bit more civility as well,” he was quoted as saying by The Australian.

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Rudd was reacting to captain Ricky Ponting’s reply to Australian governor-general Michael Jeffery that unlike 1950s cricket was not mere a sport but had turned fully professional and players tend to lose tempers under pressure.

Jeffery had called for a return to “fundamental courtesies and good manners” in the game.

“I think the governor-general’s perfectly entitled to express his point of view and on the question of civility in the game, I think that all your listeners would like there to be greater civility in the game generally.

“It’s a tough and competitive business (but) you can conduct it with a bit of civility,” he added.