Mitchell Johnson's and Scott Styris stoush was part of a long line of aggressive incidents on the international cricket field. Andrew Alderson asked New Zealand cricketers past and present what they think of such antics.
New Zealand is not averse to getting involved when aggression boils over on a cricket pitch.
Such incidents have ranged from the relatively mild to the spectacular, such as at Carisbrook in 1980 when Michael Holding booted the stumps out of the ground while John Parker nonchalantly adjusted his gloves
after nicking one behind.
The strongest example of the former was non-striker centurion Bruce Edgar raising two sausage-gloved fingers to Trevor Chappell after his 1981 underarm delivery.
To date, no-one has actually been involved in fisticuffs. But, if the current trend of on-field aggression continues, then the prospect of a baseball-style, all-in brawl can't be ruled out, regardless of the censure.
What else could explain Mitchell Johnson's nonsensical contact with Scott Styris' helmet grill? He had completely lost his nerve in the heat of an international sporting contest and was egged on by a confident batsman who'd just dispatched him to the fence.
The lasting impression was mostly comical - two grown men indulging in a spot of playground behaviour as the match entered a crucial period.
Former New Zealand captain and international match referee John R Reid says that's the very problem he has: children mimic such actions in the same way they'd practise a scoop shot or a flipper delivery.
"The spirit the game is played in is the most important thing. Like it or not, these guys are role models for youngsters. It's an old-fashioned term but it's a fact.
"Johnson was the aggressor, but he's mad headbutting someone with a helmet on. Generally the Australian team looks good, but there are a handful of idiots who need to be reined in," says Reid.
Conversely, Brendon McCullum was on the receiving end of some decent Australian sportsmanship following his match-winning hundred in the second Twenty20 match in Christchurch.
He says it is a delicate balance to master when cricketers are on edge trying to eke out minor advantages to win.
"I wasn't out there [for Styris vs Johnson], so I don't know what was going on but no physical strong-arm tactics should take place on a cricket field. You stand up to the opposition with bat and ball, which is what I believe we have done in the last few games."
Reid agrees, but takes it a step further to verbal assaults as well: "It's not necessary, do your work with the bat and ball, not your mouth. In my time as a referee, going around the world, Australia was always the worst at sledging. In fact I'd consider the Chappell brothers to be its architects back in the 1970s."
"In my time as a referee, I dealt with barging by Glenn McGrath, bowlers standing in the way of a runner - like Johnson did to Styris - and Curtly Ambrose knocking the stumps out of the ground. In fact, every time Ambrose opened his mouth his fine generally increased by $100," Reid said.
Dion Nash, always a feisty competitor in his day, holds a more liberal view of physical clashes such as the confrontation between Johnson and Styris.
"Initially I thought it was in line and added to the spectacle. It didn't offend me, but if it had gone any further it would have been a bad thing. It captured the tension of the moment and was a good example of where the line lies.
"I look at it from a fan's point of view these days rather than a player's. They didn't hit each other and it showed passion and commitment for a transtasman clash. When you try to sanitise a game too much, I think it loses something."
Reid and Nash agree match referee Ranjan Madugalle probably got the punishment right: Styris was penalised 15 per cent of his match fee and Johnson 60 per cent for being the perceived instigator.
"I would have hated to have seen either player banned for any length of time," says Nash. "A fine was appropriate. It sends the right message. However I think they should have both been fined equally because Scott, in his own way, probably went just as far to provoke it."
"I refereed with Madugalle for 10 years," says Reid. "I think he did a reasonable job but if anything he could have come down a bit tougher."
