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It is often being said that cricket is a gentleman's game. But not any more.
After what transpired in the second Test between India and Australia in Sydney, it would be more appropriate to call it a 'thug's game'.
Gone are the days when a good shot through the covers would be greeted with a clap by the bowler or a century by handshakes all around.
Now it is snarls, snorts and swear words. There is so much drama that some of the players have a future as Mafia hit men in Hollywood films.
Growing professionalism and richer rewards have contributed to making the game into a major business. Sporting spirit has receded into the far corner.
The Sydney Test was the epitome of bad behaviour and gamesmanship. Poor umpiring right through the Test did not help matters.
Some of the gamesmanship on display would have even made the master of them all, the late W G Grace, blush. Australian captain Ricky Ponting claiming a catch when the ball clearly hit the ground would make the top of any list.
The most contentious issue of the match was the allegation of racism made against spinner Harbhajan Singh. How could the umpires take Ponting's word that Harbhajan called Symonds a monkey?
If they heard it, yes, they had every reason to report the spinner to the match referee. But taking Ponting's word was bias.
This little mistake has opened a can of worms and a dirty war has been raging since. The Indians have asked for Australian spinner Brad Hogg to be booked for alleged offensive language.
India also got a chance to flex its muscle by asking for umpire Steve Bucknor to be removed. The International Cricket Council (ICC) obliged.
Now Harbhajan will wait for a decision on his behaviour until after the series is over. Knowing how impotent the ICC can be, more problems are likely to surface in the future.
The Australians complaining about sledging does not go down well. After all, they are the champion sledgers of the game.
The Australian team have got real bad publicity after the scrappy affair. Even Australians have admitted in a poll that their team behaves badly. Some have called for Ponting's head.
Australia are the best team in the world. They must set high standards of behaviour for other teams to follow.
The time for soul searching has come. They must admit to themselves that their behaviour is now getting out of hand.
There are no more takers for the reasons they give for their actions. Former fast bowler Glenn McGrath's finger wagging at West Indian batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan is still fresh in the memory.
The way the team treated a top Indian official and former minister Sharad Pawar during a presentation a few months ago still rankles in the mind.
In the days of Ian Chappell, Dennis Lillie and Steve Waugh, sledging was rampant but somehow it never got out of hand.
Now a new breed of cricketers is not willing to take insults. They are more than willing to give back.
Even cricketers from the sub-continent, known for their generally peaceful nature, are getting intolerant.
In the recent Twenty20 World Cup, India's Yuvraj Singh went after England's Andrew Flintoff, bat held aloft, after a slinging match.
Thankfully, Yuvraj converted his anger into action and set the record for six sixes in an over in that version of the game.
Sadly, Australia don't need to resort to theatricals to win matches. They play such good and entertaining cricket that other teams are always trying to follow their example.
The ICC must act quickly now to reign in this new threat. But cricket's supreme body is caught in other battles.
They are more concerned about India's growing clout in the cricket world and shirking pressing matters like the Zimbabwe issue.
The best solution will only come from the Australian cricket team. Ponting must take the lead role and admit that he is not doing his job as an ambassador of the game properly.
If self-realisation comes, then things will only improve. The world wants to see Australia continue to dominate the cricketing world.
Cricket must not be condemned to becoming a dogfight. Let the spirit of the game prevail. All the gentlemen rise, please.
