Brett Lee speaks on aggression in the game, says 'don't want robots on the field'

What's the story?

Former Australian pacer Brett Lee has spoken about the red-hot topic of aggression on the cricket field, stating that, although it is important to not cross certain lines, one doesn't 'want robots on the field'.

“The thing that I will say about that, in all honesty, is we don’t want robots on the field,” he said.

“Of course, there is a line that the players should not cross. You don’t racially vilify someone. You don’t use excessive swearing or stuff that can upset children who are listening in. Other than that, you’ve got to play hard cricket".

In case you didn't know...

The right-arm pacer's statements have come at a time when the cricketing world is debating the decision of the ICC to suspend Kagiso Rabada for two Tests after he was found guilty of having had 'physical contact' with Steve Smith after dismissing the batsman in the first innings of the Cape Town Test.

The heart of the matter

Not speaking specifically on the Rabada issue, Lee said that it is imperative that the game doesn't turn into a robotic version, where each and every action of the player is scrutinized.

“Now, I am not saying I agree with what happened and I am not saying that I don’t agree with what happened, but what I can say is that we don’t want to get into a stage where players can’t even look at a batsman, batsman can’t even look at a bowler without getting into trouble”, he added.

What's next?

The date for the hearing of Kagiso Rabada's appeal, for the Level 2 offence imposed on him, will take place on March 19.

Author's take

While the ICC's idea to implement a strict Code of Conduct is praiseworthy, there seem to be inconsistencies in the way it is used over different issues. It can be debated whether Rabada's actions where grevious enough to have copped a punishment as severe as he did, especially when someone like Shakib Al Hasan, who tried to call his players off during a heated Nidahas Trophy game against Sri Lanka, walked away with just one demerit point.