SLEDGING continues to be the main talking point in the build up to the pivotal fourth Ashes Test at Melbourne this weekend, with Australia opener Shane Watson revealing his delight at silencing one of England’s main protagonists.

Lancashire bowler James Anderson was seen exchanging words with Mitchell Johnson during the third Test in Perth, and then gestured that the Australia seamer should “be quiet” after he removed Ryan Harris.

But the boot was on the other foot when night-watchman Anderson refused a single on the penultimate ball of the third day and then saw Paul Collingwood dismissed from the day’s final delivery to give the hosts a huge boost.

“As everyone knows, Jimmy Anderson has been quite talkative on the field,” Watson told Australia’s Daily Telegraph.

“It was quite enjoyable to see him not take that single on the second last ball of that day and then Collingwood get out the next ball.

“It was one of my best moments on a cricket field, seeing Jimmy not help out his mate as a nightwatchman.

I thought the job was to protect the main batsman who was in. And he didn’t.”

ONE person to welcome the amount of sledging is Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Paul Marsh, who feels a lack of aggression in the wake of the public reaction to a nasty Sydney Test against India two years ago has played a part in Australia’s poor recent performances.

“I think there’s no doubt the team’s performance has been affected,” Marsh told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Hard, aggressive cricket is in the Australian team’s DNA and unfortunately the players started second guessing their natural instincts in the heat of battle for fear of reprisal from Cricket Australia or public backlash from the vocal minority.

“I know for a fact that many of the opposition teams were seeking to exploit what they saw as a weakness in the Australian team.’’ A poll on the web page carrying the story, asking if Cricket Australia had made the Australian team soft, saw 72 per cent of respondents answer in the affirmative.