Cricket News Headlines

It doesn't stop there: Harbhajan gets

3-Test ban over racial abuse charge


In a move that's going to give rise to more acrimony

between the two sides, Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh

was banned for three Test matches tonight for racially

abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during

the Sydney Test.
International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Mike

Proctor upheld the charge after a marathon six-hour plus

hearing. Harbhajan had denied he racially abused Symonds.

The BCCI said it would appeal against the ban.
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah told The Indian Express:

"We are totally backing Harbhajan on this and in the next 24

hours will appeal against the ICC decision." Though Shah was non-committal, Board sources

ruled out chances of Indians pulling out of the tour. With the

Board appealing against the ban, it is likely that the issue may

just drag. The Indians are hoping that this ambiguity may allow

Harbhajan play the next two Tests.
Team manager Chetan Chauhan, who represented the Indian

side at the hearing along with media manager M V Sridhar,

skipper Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh,

later said two Australian players, Matthew Hayden and

Michael Clarke, had alleged that Harbhajan called

Symonds a "big monkey" - but this was not heard by Sachin,

who was then Harbhajan's batting partner, and the two umpires.
Sridhar said there was no evidence to suggest that Harbhajan

made any racial slur. "We will be extremely disappointed

if action is taken against Harbhajan since we feel that there is

no evidence against him," Sridhar told reporters after the hearing.
BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty said:

"It is a case of the word of our players against the Australians.

The match referee went by what the Aussies said since I have

learnt that the field umpires had nothing against Harbhajan."
The Indians, on their part, have also lodged a complaint against

Australian spinner Brad Hogg for using abusive language during the Test.