Will let players play fair, aggressive game, says Aussie coach Darren Lehmann

MELBOURNE: A day after the ICC vowed to crack down on excessive sledging between players at the cricket World Cup, Australian coach Darren Lehmann said he will let his wards "play the game as they normally would".

"We'll let them go play the game as they normally would. Nice, aggressive, fair and making sure they're not crossing the line," Lehmann was quoted as saying by 'news.com.au'.

The tournament, in Australia and New Zealand, begins on Friday and ICC chief David Richardson yesterday said: "The penalties will be a bit more serious than before. For a first offence, you'll likely end up with a fine which no player likes, handing back most of his match fee.

"But a repeat offence will be punished with a suspension."

Lehmann's stance comes a day after New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden, who will officiate in matches at the World Cup, said there was nothing wrong with a bit of sledging as long as it was done in the right way.

"You don't want to clone them all into little choir boys. A lot of it is a lot of fun and a lot of banter," Bowden said.

"There's all types of personalities out there. As long as it's not aggressive or personal - there's zero tolerance with that. Discipline, that's where it counts - respecting the game, their opponents and umpires," Bowden had said