This is really more of a Mephisto clue than an ST Crossword clue - it's an 'offshoot &lit' or a partial all-in-one clue. The whole clue is the definition (the '?' suggesting that it may not be a precise definition - and this one most definitely isn't!) while the word play is just the last three words, 'our ears' being the anagram fodder and 'bashed' a deverbal adjective acting as the anagram indicator.
The example of this type of clue quoted by Ximenes in 'Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword' is 'What a bishop may have had before getting a crook' for PREBEND, where the last four words form the word play whilst the whole clue provides the definition.
Incidentally, I don't think it's fair to Mr Moorey to say that he is obsessed by cricket and excretion - it's actually classical music, cricket and excretion (though not necessarily in that order...)