LONDON - England cricketers will have a licence to sledge Australian players in the next Ashes series, provided they don't take it too far, new chief selector Geoff Miller says.
Former England off-spinner Miller, who was last week named to replace David Graveney as his country's principal selector,wants his team to adopt a competitive edge ahead of the 2009 series against Australia.
"Sledging in the game has gone on for years," Miller told The Mail on Sunday.
"I have no problem with that as long as it doesn't go overboard and doesn't bring the game into disrepute ... the Aussies are hard. England have got to be equally hard.
"But I don't want to go round telling people how to behave. I simply want them at their best when they perform on the field and do nothing that could be construed as detrimental to the game."
The 55-year-old Miller, who takes up his new role in New Zealand later this month, said racist remarks were "out of order".
Allegations of racism have marred the current series between Australia and India.
England found themselves in the sledging spotlight last year, also against India, over some excessive on-field chat and the infamous jellybean affair, in which sweets were scattered on the pitch.
