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What is it with Australian cricketers and New Zealand's way of playing the game?
It almost smacks of a form of paranoia. Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has warned his fellow Australian cricketers away from following New Zealand's nice-guy approach.
That's come amid talk of how Australia needed to mend their more overt aggressive tendencies on the field in the wake of the unpleasant series against South Africa and the ball tampering incident in Cape Town in March.
Wade is not the first.
Remember the aftermath of the 2015 World Cup final.
"You know what? They deserved it," Haddin said of his sledging of the New Zealanders in the game. He admitted he felt "uncomfortable" playing them.
Presumably because they didn't utter a barrage of abuse throughout the day.
"I said in the team meeting (before the final): 'I can't stand for this anymore, we're going at them as hard as we can'," Haddin said.
"I said, 'I'm not playing cricket like this."
And he was as good as his word.
Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. Photo / Photosport
Now former Australia coach Darren Lehmann is among those who have suggested a lead should be taken out of the New Zealand playbook. No thanks, said wicketkeeper Wade.
His behaviour has often been under scrutiny and he's not joining the feel good bandwagon.
Wade warned against Australia bending too far the other way as a review into the culture in the game is under way across the Tasman.
"I hope now we don't go too far the other way and lose all our drive … and try and play like New Zealand."
It was an odd remark but scratch the surface and you'll have plenty of Australian players with a privately similar perspective. Dial it back a touch, but not too much, would be their thinking.
"Every team needs a bit of competitiveness on the field. What happened in South Africa wasn't a good look.
"But I just think we need to be careful about what direction we go in from here," Wade added.
Certainly New Zealand players have at times gone too far the other way.
For example, running after a batsman who has just been dismissed to shake his hand after a fine innings. There's plenty of time for that in the dressing room. Australians just won't cop that behaviour.
There's more than one way to win games than be perennially boorish. You don't need to be a grub to be successful.
New Zealand now know that. It doesn't mean you don't play the game hard and competitively. But it's about knowing where the line is.
