Cricket: Morrison joins calls for action on sledging

David Warner sledges Indian batsman Rohit Sharma.

Former New Zealand cricketer John Morrison has joined calls to give umpires more power to curb on-field sledging and abuse.

Australian David Warner has come under fire for his tirade at Indian batsman Rohit Sharma during a one-day international match across the Tasman on Sunday where he told Sharma to "speak English".

Warner was fined 50 per cent of his match fee and has since clarified his stance on the argument.

Morrison agreed with comments by cricket legend Martin Crowe that umpires should have a card system, similar to rugby, to deal with excessive sledging.

Morrison said: "I do agree the umpires should have more power and they should introduce something like a yellow card and they should also make any card a suspension. The punishment should be a suspension, not fining them, that's a waste of time."

Morrison said if a player was threatened with the possibility of being suspended for a match like the World Cup final, they would immediately rein in their behaviour.

During the past two months, 12 players were cited by the International Cricket Council for breaches of their code of conduct and the punishments largely included fines, while some got only a warning.

Australia and India have pushed the boundaries around competing within the laws of the game throughout the summer.

This is despite some Australian players saying they would look to uphold the spirit of cricket following the death of batsman Phillip Hughes.

The Black Caps and Sri Lanka have enjoyed good-natured competition during their series but NZ seamer Tim Southee said sledging was commonplace in the game.

"It's getting a bit boring. There's a place for it but there seems to be a little too much [at the moment].

"Warner is a player who thrives on it, so it's probably best not to chip at him. He's playing some amazing cricket and batting like a genius so you do everything you can to make him feel uncomfortable.

"If it's in you, it's in you, if you need to get in the battle and contest, but those days are gone for me I think."

Warner's conduct this summer prompted Crowe to label him "the worst culprit" of sledging.

Crowe's latest column on website ESPN cricinfo said those in charge needed to clamp down on sledging before violence marred a match.

He suggested a yellow-card system should provide suspensions for those who flouted the rules.

"Fining these serial offenders is not going to work. You have to take them out of the game for extended periods," Crowe wrote. "Two yellow cards should result in a red card" and a six-month ban. "This is the only way it will be dealt with. My concern in the immediate future will be that Warner will be in the centre of an ugly on-field fight during the upcoming World Cup."