In cricket, the art of exchanging verbals is commonly known as 'sledging'.

But does 'sledging' have a place in the game?

England's Craig White and Sri Lanka's Ruchira Perera exchanged words during their final warm-up match against a Board President's XI.

Days before this episode, Craig White was widely quoted as saying that sledging "fired him up".

England captian Nasser Hussain has vowed that his team will keep the peace but will this incident set a precedent for an ill-tempered series?

Should the language of confrontation be curbed?

Should cricketers take better control of their conduct?

Or, is it simply part and parcel of a competitive sport?

Tell us what you think.

Sledging may upset player's concentration. Sometimes he might try to overdo things in retaliation and end up losing his wicket. That is the whole idea behind sledging. When you are up against a real strong team sledging is like making a fool of yourself. Some players cut a very sorry figure after sledging some great players. I remember someone sledged Richards, only to find his next ball to be hit out of the ground.
Uthams, USA

'Sledging' has always had a place in the game at all levels. It never used to be foul language, though, it was often more humorous, but none the less effective. It is not possible to be in the middle and never to comment to a colleague in the slips, for example, in such a way that the batsmen does not hear. I always found this to be an integral part of the game, whether fielding or batting. Long may it continue, but without the foul language and personal abuse aspects that seem to be prevalent today.
John A Hockey, USA

Cricket is a Gentlemens game and sledging must be stopped immediately to maintain the game's honour.
Salahuddin, Pakistan

The constant 'F'ing and blinding is mindless and reinforces the thought that all pro sportsmen are thick. When the sledging is thoughtful, humourous and clever i.e. to a slow batsmen ... "ere mate I'm having difficulty sleeping can you come bat in my bedroom" then there is no harm in it.
Chris, UK

Being able to take a bit of sledging is a very integral part of a modern cricketers make -up: the ability to handle a bit of abuse. It's no good people complaining about England not being a mentally tough enough side, and then whinging that our players no longer have the spirit of the game in mind. Nice pleasant losers, or nasty winners. Thats the way it is and always has been.
William Wixey, England

Sledging has gone on for years and is part of the game. To play any sport you must have a certain amount of aggression. If you lose this aggression then you lose the game and you play to win.
Gareth J Burgess, England

It has always been a part of the game - the only reason it has become "big news" now is that there are microphones on the pitch now. Before we did not here what was said. Shut up and take the game for all it's good and bad points.
Brian, England

Sledging should not be allowed. The Aussies freely admit they do it simply to disrupt the concentration of the opposing batsmen and thus increase the chances of him getting out. If this is allowed then why not also allow someone to stand feet from the batsman, screaming at him to try and distract him while the bowler runs in? What is the difference?
David Lindsay, Germany

Sledging has become established as part of the modern game. It may not be ideal but sport has moved on. It's no longer a gentleman's game, you play to win and try to get an advantage in any possible way.
Tom Crooze, England

Today's sledging is no different to the sledging that took place 20 years ago, when Lillee and Thomson were not shy about offering the batsman a bit of advice. Players from that era are now regarded as non-threatening to the game's sense of fair play. Modern players should not be judged harshly by a media made up mainly of players who invented sledging.
Tom, England

Sledging has gradually become a common part of the game over the years and it looks as though that is going to have to be accepted one way or another. But there are times when it goes over the top and some players just become subject to foul-mouthed personal insults. This has to be cut out because this isn't sledging. Sledging is more like 'banter' that goes on between the players and finishes once they're off the field. Incidents like what Perera said to White isn't sledging, it's simply unnecessary abuse which has to be sorted out.
Richard Riley, England

Cricketers should mind their language just as much as all sports men and women.
Jonathon Harrod, Belguim

You can really blame the Australians for this whole business. 'Sledging', or its equivalent for other sports, does, of course, take place between sporting rivals and is not intrinsically bad in itself if kept within reasonable limits. Since 'reasonable' cannot be defined universally and since some players nearly always go to excess, the practice should, ideally, be discouraged.
Roche John, Belgium

A game without emotions is no good...maybe they should have a sledging dictionary or something for words that can and cannot be used!!
NIck, USA

As long as it is inoffensive banter then I see no problem with it. It all adds to the game and can be quite entertaining by itself.
Rob, England

Well look at the Ozzies, they always slate the opposition and look where its got them....they're the best team in the world !!!
Gary Neal, England

Craig White made comments last Tuesday (published on the BBC Sport website) to the effect that he will inject some Australian type aggression into England's game. He should not complain, therefore, when he is on the receiving end.
Dar, UK

The players don't seem to mind it and thats what matters. Some of it is quite funny and creative too! Helps liven up what can be an incredibly dull sport.
Mark B, UK