Harbhajan Singh deserved to be banned for three matches. India’s decision to suspend their tour until they get a result from appeal - no doubt it needs to be an outcome favourable to the tourists - is disgraceful. Match referee Mike Procter was convinced, beyond reasonable doubt, that Singh uttered the infamous racial slur “monkey” during the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Harbhajan maintains his innocence, though the Australians say it’s not the first time the Indian spinner has used the term about Andy Symonds. The story out of the Indian camp has been a confusing one. Team management, while stating that the word “monkey” was not uttered, was keen to point out that, even if it was, no offence would have been intended. In India the word “monkey” is used as a term of affection, claimed Harsha Bhogle on The 7:30 Report.That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t wash in this situation. On Australia’s recent seven match ODI tour of India, Andy Symonds was subjected to racial taunts from the crowd. There’s irrefutable proof that crowd members were imitating monkeys and holding up offensive signs as Roy came out to bat, despite denials from the BCCI. The footage of those patrons, aired on The Cricket Show during the Sydney Test, seemed to suggest the taunting was anything but affectionate. The monkey taunts received widespread media coverage at the time. There is no way that Harbhajan Singh could not have got the message: it’s probably not a good idea to use the word ‘monkey’ to Andy Symonds, under any circumstances. He went ahead and did the crime, so should do the time.It seems that India are using the Harbhajan ban as an excuse to protest, when really the issue is the poor umpiring standard that marred the Sydney Test. Steve Bucknor’s decision to give Rahul Dravid out caught behind on the final day was one of the worst decisions I’ve seen on a cricket field, and he should not be allowed to stand in the Perth Test match.It wasn’t the only howler of the match, unfortunately. Roy Symonds, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and VVS Laxman all received reprieves when they shouldn’t have, some more than one. But what goes around comes around, with Punter given out when he wasn’t. That brings me to Ponting’s behaviour during the match. For an Aussie captain, it was appalling. While calls for him to step down as skipper are overkill, some of his antics were highly embarrassing. Throwing your bat when you get back to the changing room is poor form for anyone, though it’s especially bad when you’re the captain and you’ve already been gifted 30-odd bonus runs thanks to an umpiring error. Then there was the celebrations on the final day. The Aussie XI had a right to be overjoyed, they’d just won a Test when even Bull Lawry had given up hope. But neglecting to shake Apple Crumble’s hand immediately reflected poorly on the hosts. Think of Fred Flintoff comforting Brett Lee in the Edgbaston aftermath: a humble victory celebration compared to one reeking of unwarranted hubris.Tuesday, January 8, 2008
HARBY'S BAN DESERVES TO STAND
Harbhajan Singh deserved to be banned for three matches. India’s decision to suspend their tour until they get a result from appeal - no doubt it needs to be an outcome favourable to the tourists - is disgraceful. Match referee Mike Procter was convinced, beyond reasonable doubt, that Singh uttered the infamous racial slur “monkey” during the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Harbhajan maintains his innocence, though the Australians say it’s not the first time the Indian spinner has used the term about Andy Symonds. The story out of the Indian camp has been a confusing one. Team management, while stating that the word “monkey” was not uttered, was keen to point out that, even if it was, no offence would have been intended. In India the word “monkey” is used as a term of affection, claimed Harsha Bhogle on The 7:30 Report.That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t wash in this situation. On Australia’s recent seven match ODI tour of India, Andy Symonds was subjected to racial taunts from the crowd. There’s irrefutable proof that crowd members were imitating monkeys and holding up offensive signs as Roy came out to bat, despite denials from the BCCI. The footage of those patrons, aired on The Cricket Show during the Sydney Test, seemed to suggest the taunting was anything but affectionate. The monkey taunts received widespread media coverage at the time. There is no way that Harbhajan Singh could not have got the message: it’s probably not a good idea to use the word ‘monkey’ to Andy Symonds, under any circumstances. He went ahead and did the crime, so should do the time.It seems that India are using the Harbhajan ban as an excuse to protest, when really the issue is the poor umpiring standard that marred the Sydney Test. Steve Bucknor’s decision to give Rahul Dravid out caught behind on the final day was one of the worst decisions I’ve seen on a cricket field, and he should not be allowed to stand in the Perth Test match.It wasn’t the only howler of the match, unfortunately. Roy Symonds, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and VVS Laxman all received reprieves when they shouldn’t have, some more than one. But what goes around comes around, with Punter given out when he wasn’t. That brings me to Ponting’s behaviour during the match. For an Aussie captain, it was appalling. While calls for him to step down as skipper are overkill, some of his antics were highly embarrassing. Throwing your bat when you get back to the changing room is poor form for anyone, though it’s especially bad when you’re the captain and you’ve already been gifted 30-odd bonus runs thanks to an umpiring error. Then there was the celebrations on the final day. The Aussie XI had a right to be overjoyed, they’d just won a Test when even Bull Lawry had given up hope. But neglecting to shake Apple Crumble’s hand immediately reflected poorly on the hosts. Think of Fred Flintoff comforting Brett Lee in the Edgbaston aftermath: a humble victory celebration compared to one reeking of unwarranted hubris.