India in Australia

[An Tarbh]

Surprised there hasn't been anything on this, admittedly the first test was a non contest but that was inevitable given the preparation of the Indians.

However this second test has been a much closer affair unfortunately marred by what can only be called the retarded decision making of Bucknor, yet again and it also seems to be catching with Benson getting in on the act. Not only have they been poor decisions, to say the least, but they've had a massive impact on this test match especially with the dismissals of Symonds.

Regardless of that though his innings was superb, as was his partnership with Hogg, given their position at the time, a corker of a delivery from Lee to get rid of Jaffer, superb strokeplay from Laxman, tremendous character from Dravid and quality from Tendulkar who finally got that recent monkey off his back by once again getting to three figures and what a performance from Harbajhan with the bat. Great stuff and a handy lead for the Indians going into the 4th days play. Certainly worth staying up for that's for sure!!!

 

[melon]

What a match!

India certainly have come back...it will be interesting to see what occurs in the final 2 days of play.

I think Australia will have to do a bit of hit and giggle and hope for the best if they are to pose a decent total yet at the same time reserve enough time to bowl India out.

I sniff a tied test match...

 

[ak47]

absolute disgraceful way to end a great test

disgraceful antics from the aussies

disgraceful decision by the umps

its going down as historical moments in cricket

i for one wanted a draw - india did not deserve to lose that TEST

Harby should have his appeal upheld - Ponting is having a big whinge and packing chips, as he cant even get any runs when harby is bowling

i smell a sh*t scared spoilt brat in ponting

harby has more runs than ponting and so does kumble

 

[C A Iversen]

Wow Ak47. You aren't some biased Aussie. You call it as you see it. You see it exactly the same as myself.

Link to this story:

http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ausvind/con...ory/329405.html

If Ponting ever gave a grain of sympathy to another side post-match it'd change my views on the man/mountain of ego.

You'd think the aussies would've had enough go their way without the banning of Harbhajan Singh. From what I hear, Harbhajan said, "Bloody Monkey" as he walked past Symonds. Symonds said "What did you say", and it wasn't repeated.

Let me know if this is wrong. It's what I have heard through talkback. If this is how it went, he never had the nerve to say it right at Symonds and it should've stopped there.

 

[An Tarbh]

Call me a conspiracy theorist here but I sense that Ponting won't be too displeased to see the back of Harbajhan, no doubt he stretched the truth with his evidence and it seems all the more strange that Proctor can make this call given the Umpires didn't hear anything. It just salt in the wound following the abject performance of Bucknor and Benson. It's no wonder they've threatened to pull out of the tour.

 

[Prestwick]

Wow Ak47. You aren't some biased Aussie. You call it as you see it. You see it exactly the same as myself.[/b]

Surprisingly when it comes to Cricket, the Aussie fans may banter and talk, but they know what they see and usually say what they see as well. That was probably why there was such goodwill at the end of the 2005 Ashes between fans as it had been such an epic.

I'm more shocked by the ICC than anything. Usually they bend over backwards for the Sub-Asian Continent its ubelievable as exhibited with the disgusting witch hunt against Darrell Hair. But this level of incompetence truly shocks me.

You can't really blame Ponting for this because you do whatever you think you can get away with. What was the worst that could happen to Australia apart from a rejection of their complaint? Not much and thus it was a win - win situation for them. Granted and they remove a vital part of India's set up or rejected and they rattle a usually placid Indian team.

I'd rather blame the ICC and the umpires for buying into it. Bucknor is usually a superb umpire of the highest standards but this does lead me to question the quality of umpiring these days and the rather pedantic and random ways in which they run the game.

Cricket has come along so well in the past decade but its in danger of being undone by incompetent and autocratic umpires whose decisions put an artificial dimension on the outcome of a test match.

Yet another example of why the ICC simply arn't fit to run the game.

EDIT: Surprisingly, India has been taking the whole controversy pretty well:

Usually they'd be laying siege to the Australian High Commission by now with a frenzy not seen since the Great Indian Mutiny so actually, it might blow over in a few days!

 

[St Helens RLFC]

You can't really blame Ponting for this! [/b]

Trust me, you can. He is an utter prick. He actually makes me angry. Just looking at him sets me off.

 

[An Tarbh]

I'd rather blame the ICC and the umpires for buying into it. Bucknor is usually a superb umpire of the highest standards but this does lead me to question the quality of umpiring these days and the rather pedantic and random ways in which they run the game.
[/b]

Good lord you are taking the absolute Michael if you think Bucknor is a decent umpire, he's been making howler's for 15 years, it's just a pity that Taufell never gets to umpire Aussie test matches cause then we'd get correct decisions.

 

[Prestwick]

<div class='quotemain'>
I'd rather blame the ICC and the umpires for buying into it. Bucknor is usually a superb umpire of the highest standards but this does lead me to question the quality of umpiring these days and the rather pedantic and random ways in which they run the game.
[/b]

Good lord you are taking the absolute Michael if you think Bucknor is a decent umpire, he's been making howler's for 15 years, it's just a pity that Taufell never gets to umpire Aussie test matches cause then we'd get correct decisions. [/b][/quote]

I am taking the mickey because while he does indeed do howlers, he only rarely does howlers against us so we must be paying him. :bana:

It probably comes under the ECB's accounts in the same section as "money reserved for paying off the ICC to avoid playing in Zimbabwe."

 

[C A Iversen]

Well, as far as I'm concerned, sure you can blame Umpire Morgan Freeman all you want, but saying you can't blame Ricky Ponting (George Bush's Love-Child) for this is a little wrong in my mind.

You say he has a right to try and get away with what he can? Correct.

We have a right to vilify him for it? Correct.

 

[Prestwick]

Oh, of course you can. It'd be hypocritical of me to criticise him for being arrogant enough to complain about the manner of his being caught out back in Ashes 2005 (when he was caught out by the super-sub pre-cursor at Edgbaston I believe) only to say that he should not be criticised here.

Still though, considering what our guys get up to - which, compared to the wholy serious and well thought out schemes hatched by the likes of Ricky Ponting and Inzaman ul-Haq, are absolutely farcical and more chuckle brothers than JFK and Bobby Kennedy - I think our guys should have gotten a lot more flak for their jelly bean antics than they did. Alec Stewart for example should have a smack round the back of the head for suggesting that players shouldn't be reprimanded by the ECB for stupid antics which do more to lose a game than win it.

When you think about it, despite some impressive wins in the summer, 2007 has been a bit of a crap year for India with all the stick they've had to take.

 

[C A Iversen]

Agreed. It's not as though India have ever done much to make themselves the bad guys. The scandals of Pakistan's last 5 years, haven't rubbed off on them and they've had the good grace not to have their arch-rival on about it. What does that say about their character?

I'm hoping that sanity prevails and Mike Proctor wakes up and realises that there is such a thing as a caution or reprimand. Thats how far things had to go, but no, not one match, not two, but three!!

There's no place for racism in a game, but who hasn't been guilty of a mis-placed word in a heated situation? They are in effect saying that Harbhajan that is a racist, not someone who stuffed up.

If they warned him and he developed a history of these things, then yes, a ban. To do this on the strength of Ricky Ponting's whinge is nothing short of an over-reaction.

 

[ak47]

the whole thing is disgraceful

Harby has denied and backed up 100% by Tendies

just cause symonds, clark, haydo said they heard something

Tendies holds the most credibility of all those players, and i tend to stick with the more experienced opinions

but in the instance, clark said he heard it, after symonds also told ponting - rick went running to the umpire.

ricky should have waited, as a captain, consulted harby and tendy out in the middle, and maybe kumble later on - before going anywhere to the officials....try n keep it on the field

and the ICC should never pin anyone without proper evidence of admission of guilt.........there is no evidence at all - its aussie word v indians word.....and in that case, i believe Tendy (admirable legend with great legacy to cricket) over Clarke who grew up in liverpool sydney, symonds a QLD'er, and Ponting from Tasmania.

Drop the charges, get on with it....but now the charge was laid, there is backlash if its dropped that the ICC bend over for India again..the powerbrokers of cricket.

ICC shot themsevles in the foot, they cant win one way or the other now the original mistake, by way of charging has been handed down.

 

[C A Iversen]

Well, well, some of the australian journalists are saying that the "Arrogant Ponting Must Be Sacked As Captain". I wouldn't go that far, but I believe he should humble himself with an apology.

Symonds had better realise that there are some words that sound like others, in both English and Hindu tongues.

If either of those two sooks had bothered to man up and say to Harby, "If you called him (Symonds) a monkey, you better not say it again or we'll have to report it, play the game" then this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

They never allowed Harbhajan to explain himself.

I'm not calling for Ponting's or Symonds head, but Ponting should apologise and Symonds should admit he could've handled it better. I can imagine Symonds at school, "Teacher, Teacher, Johnny called me an idiot. I think thats racially based, he's saying aboriginal people aren't intelligent!".

90% of Australians are wonderful blokes. Mark Taylor and Steven Waugh, Richie Benaud and Allan Border to name but a few. Records or not, Ponting no longer stands among them. His complete revelry in victory and ungracious nature towards his opponents has been for some time a bad seed in Australian cricket and has now flowered into something else.

Some years ago, Chris Cairns suffered the devastating loss of his sister in a rail crossing accident, when her car was smashed, fatally injuring her. To this day it means so much to him, he still campaigns about awareness at these crossings.

In a following summer, Chris had to put up with an australian wicketkeeper and close in fielders chanting, "Choo....Choo...Choo, Choo, Choo". Hows that for low?

What did he do? He played the best innings he could. I'm sure there have been other examples through cricket history.

In view of that, I say to Andrew Symonds, "You aren't fit to wear whites".

 

[BokMagic]

The thing that leaves the worst taste in my mouth, is the inconsistency, not from the ICC, but from Ponting. In the past, Ponting has always been quick to state that what happens on the field, should stay on the field. No problems with that type of a statement, but then you`ve gotta be able to give it as well as take it.

Look, I absolutely abhor all forms of racism. Having grown up in SA, I`ve seen my fair share of it. But Harby`s actions there wasn`t anything racially motivated as far as I`m concerned. However, the problem for the ICC is that they`ve set the standard at anything that might be construed to be racist. Remember in the SA-Pakistan series in SA last year, when Gibbs got banned for 3 matches also, for referring to a certain section of the Pakistani supporters as "behaving like animals" when they were making monkey calls at him? Exactly the same situation here. A player, in this case Harby, said something that could possibly be interpreted as racist by somebody, somewhere. And now the ICC, who have set their standards, have to follow through, with their hands tied.

No, in this case the blame must fall firmly on Ponting. Brilliant champion batsman that he may be, he needs to get a reality check. And if he doesn`t want to heed the words of advice and friendly warning of past Aussie great officers and gentlemen like Mark Taylor et al, he probably should be sacked for this.

 

[Prestwick]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tms/2008/01/pla...em_not_um.shtml

Brilliant collumn by Aggers on this whole sorry fiasco. They've essentially done exactly the same as they did over Hair and its come back to bite them on the arse. Any old team can now hold the ICC to ransom because of the terrible precident set in 2006. Disgusting.

I say we clone Monty Panesar en masse and make up all the teams in the world from the clone army of Montys that we have created. That would clean the sport up.

Symonds had better realise that there are some words that sound like others, in both English and Hindu tongues.. [/b]

There is an interesting story (although it has nothing to do with this). Basically when they were filming the huge bridge battle scene for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Director Sergio Leone asked the Spanish army (who were providing extras for the two armies in the film, etc) to build the bridge for him. Now this bridge was a properly made bridge and when it was done the idea was that they were going to first film the battle on the bridge and then spend five minutes clearing everyone away before blowing it up. Easy?

No. Basically when Sergio said "Start!" in Italian, it apparently sounds allot like "go!" in Spanish and the Spanish engineers who had rigged the bridge with high explosives thought that was the signal to blow the bridge. So when 5,000 Spanish guys were just about to mount the bridge, the whole thing went to kingdom come! Luckily nobody was killed or hurt and they had to rebuild the bridge LOL.

 

[C A Iversen]

Perhaps too far, but this article is interesting.....

Banning Sledging?
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/magazine/co...ory/329711.html


Why is cricket being treated as a mental game, rather than a game of skill and technique?

 

[St Helens RLFC]

I dislike the sledging part of cricket. And it is something that Australia in particular have a very, very big reputation for.

 

[ak47]

sledging is good IMO

but now part of racism, as 2 different cultures can sledge, and it can have opposite effects

Harby > Symo - you monkey - In India, a monkey is considered a god, in direction at symonds its racism - apparantly

Hogg > Kumble - you ******* - In India this is a very offensive term, as your not counted as legit if ur parents give birth prior to marriage, in australia is just a another slang word to denounce anyone, but not much offense is ever taken, its light hearted at the most.

So you can now see why sledging should be banned, and in the wake of this, i think its the only solution....which to me is sad, but i guess its what the world is coming to

but IMO

both these slegdes are not racist - i call kids a pack of cheeky monkeys.

aussie having a big whinge dobbing in harby

IMO a racist remark is a direct comments of your colour, or background/ culture.

Referring someone as an animal, is indirect - therefore open to interpretation, and u cannot put rules in for interpretations

In australia

if your called a monkey - its because ur inept, or you play silly games
if your called a dog - its because u have deceived someone, or let someone down

both are animals - in australia - being called a DOG is worse, but would never be deemed racist....thus this outcry from Symonds is a farce - especially considering he looks more like a paddlepop lion, or a cat than a monkey

 

[C A Iversen]

If sledging was limited to comments rubbishing someone's cricketing talent, that would be fine, ie:

"Are you ever going to hit one"
"Your killing your teams chances, you have to have a go."
"Nice shot. We all know you can't play a sweep though." - One I used while keeping and sure enough, the guy tried it and played a ballooning sky-bound sitter.

The modern cricketer can't stop at these types of things. It has to be personal.

It can happen in other sports, but where has it been allowed to become a regular all day part of the sport? On top of the pressure of playing the game and the ever increasing pressure to win, why are these grown men scratching their heads in wonderment at incidents cropping up?

If it could ever be limited to someones ability as a player, I'd still be all for it. It seems to me though that only high-school and club teams can master that degree of common sense. Not saying that sledging things other than someones ability never happens in those grades, but the ratio is ridiculously lower.