If anyone was wondering why most non-Australian cricket fans dislike with a rare vehemence reserved only for the Collingwood Australian Rules Football club one only needs to look at the comments of James Faulkner this morning.

If you missed them here is a compendium of Faulkner’s quotes:

“The way they batted yesterday, they chose to bat that way. If you’re 3-0 up there’s no reason why you shouldn’t push and try to be 4-0 up.”

“That’s their choice … I know the fans get a refund for their ticket today but maybe they should’ve for yesterday.”

“It didn’t surprise me. Any time they feel threatened they sort of go in their shell and play pretty defensive cricket. That didn’t really surprise me at all.”

This from a player who is playing in his first test match, who is yet to take a test wicket and in a series, no less, when his team is going to be on the end of a 3-0 thrashing. Really James? Does anyone think these comments are smart or even appropriate from such a junior player in the game?

Don’t get me wrong: I have a massive wrap on James Faulkner as a cricketer. However, these kind of comments smack of over confidence and more than a little bit of ego. Mickey Arthur spoke of the young players coming into the team having egos and pay packets not matching their station in the game and this outburst from Faulkner seems another example of such ego.

In a series which started with David Warner punching an opponent in a pub it now seems that the Australian team is finishing things with more vitriol not less giving the spectacle of Darren Lehmann’s comments at the start of the test and now these from Faulkner.

The arrogance of Faulkner’s comments would have been ok when Australia was a world force in the game and when the comments were coming from someone with the standing and career of Glenn McGrath. However, Australia is not the force it once was and Faulkner is the freshest of new debutantes.

Australia has lost this series 3-0 and has been outplayed in all but for the Old Trafford test match. Maybe it is time for the Australian team to shut up and focus on the cricket because this unwarranted sniping and egotistical commenting is not working and is only enhancing this teams negative reputation with fans of the game.