Cricket: TAKING THE MIKE! JELLYGATE: England coach backs silent approach Moores: Turn down sound so we can sledge in peace.

Byline: Dean Wilson CRICKET CORRESPONDENT

ENGLAND coach Peter Moores wants the stump microphones turned off so his players can let rip at opposition batsmen without fear of getting caught.

Moores stoutly defended his players in the aftermath of the Jellygate affair, insisting they didn't go too far, but it appears he would like to make sure that if they do, no-one hears it.

The dropping of jelly beans on the wicket will clearly be a one-off after the embarrassment it caused the England side, but the constant verbal abuse of batsmen will continue.

They used to say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and it is clear Moores and his pack are keen to follow the same rules on a cricket field so he has asked match referee Ranjan Madugalle whether they can be turned off.

But cricket is no longer in the dark ages. It is big business now and the days when players could say what they wanted and keep it among themselves are long gone.

"Anything that happens on the field should stay there," argued Moores. "But the key is that we keep in line with the spirit of the game.

"We want it to be aggressive because there's a lot at stake and we want to put the opposition under pressure.

"You operate how you normally operate. Take Matthew Prior for instance. He's consistent. That's how he usually operates, that's what he does.

"That's how he plays his cricket and that's what he was selected for.

"Now there's another issue as to whether stump mics should be on quite as loudly at times, so people can play their sport.

"It's a consideration to ask for the stump mics to be turned down. That's a topic for the match referee.

"There must be some things that are left on the field to be fair to the players. They should be allowed to go out there and play the game without being worried that everything they actually say is going to be broadcast.

"It's something we've discussed as a management team and we've spoken to the match referee about it."

Stump mics were introduced in 1990, but it was in 1999 that the ICC came up with guidelines for their use.

They agreed mics would be left off except when a batsmen was taking guard, when the bowler began his run up until the ball is either hit or passes the bat and when the fielder returns a throw until it is in the keeper's hands.

An ICC spokesman said: "The restrictions were put in place to provide the players with some privacy and to prevent unsuitable language or other inappropriate comments from being broadcast on TV.

"At the same time the use of stump microphones by broadcasters is an attempt to enhance the viewing and listening pleasure of fans by giving them a feeling of being close to the action."

Moores' pleas are likely to fall on deaf ears at the ICC, who are keen to make sure players remain within the spirit of cricket and that the public can see it for themselves.

THIS LOT CAN TALK A GOOD GAME

Freddie Flintoff v Tino Best: The Windies tailender was determined to show what he could do with the bat and after missing a wild slog Flintoff shouted: "Mind the windows Tino!" A slog next ball saw him stumped.

Shane Warne v Paul Collingwood: Warne told Collingwood what he thought of his ability at the Sydney Test in January when he said: "You got an MBE right? For scoring 7!" Back-to-back tons from Collingwood meant he won back some respect.

Ian Healey v Arjuna Ranatunga: The Aussies disliked the former tubby Sri Lankan skipper, but when the injured Ranatunga asked for a runner Healey said: "You don't get a runner for being a lazy, overweight, unfit fat ****!"

CAPTION(S):

WAR OF WORDS: Kevin Pietersen and Zaheer Khan clash in the middle at Trent Bridge. Inset: The stump microphones; WORTH A SHOUT: Peter Moores backed his players