ICC stands by umpires despite Indian
complaints


SYDNEY (Reuters) - The International Cricket Council
will resist Indian demands to sack umpire Steve Bucknor
from standing in next week's third test against Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants Bucknor
banned from officiating at the match in Perth as punishment for
a series of blunders he made during the second test in Sydney.
The ICC said member countries were not permitted to interfere or
oppose the appointment of umpires.
"The standard test match playing conditions are signed by the
respective board, and the condition states that neither team has a
right to object to an umpire's appointment. There is little
ICC can do," an ICC spokesman said on Monday.
Bucknor and Englishman Mark Benson were heavily criticised
by Indian officials for their handling of the second test which
Australia won by 122 runs.
Both teams were adversely affected by wrong calls but
India suffered more than the Australians.
The most significant occurred on the first day when
Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was incorrectly
given not out on 30 before going on to make 162 not out.
Then on the last day India's Rahul Dravid was wrongly given
out when he was trying to save the game.
"I have been informed by the BCCI that they are lodging a
strong protest with the ICC, so that some of the incompetent
umpires do not umpire in the rest of the series," the Indian team
manager Chetan Chauhan told a news conference.
"We're not saying this because we have lost the game. It was for
everybody to see."
Benson was not scheduled to stand in the third test but
61-year-old Bucknor was listed to officiate along with
Pakistan's Asad Rauf.
Jamaican-born Bucknor is the most experienced umpire in
international cricket history, having stood in a record 120 tests, and
five World Cup finals

Team India c Benson b Bucknor

In a match where V V S Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar kept

their tryst with the Sydney Cricket Ground, umpire Steve Bucknor

too managed to maintain his record. After some very poor

umpiring by Bucknor and Mark Benson saw India go down by

122 runs and 0-2 in the series today, skipper Anil Kumble, sources

said, gave Bucknor a zero in his captain's report - just what Sourav

Ganguly did in the last meeting at the SCG four years ago.
An upset Kumble, who remained stranded at the non-striker's end

on 45 as Michael Clarke took three wickets in five balls to win the

Test for Australia with just seven deliveries to spare, also accused

Australia of unsportsmanlike conduct. "Only one team was playing

in the spirit of the game, that's all I can say," Kumble told a news

conference. The ICC code of conduct barred him from giving vent

to his anger.
With Bucknor due to stand in again at Perth - he has been named

for the third Test with Asad Rauf - team manager Chetan Chauhan

said the BCCI was "lodging a strong protest with the ICC to ensure

that some of these incompetent umpires do not umpire in the rest

of the series".
"The way the umpiring has been conducted, the team has been

agitated. A lot of decisions have gone against us. Had even 50 per cent

of those come out in our favour, the result would have been different.

It has really affected us and we are not saying this because we have lost

this Test match. I have been informed that the Board is lodging a strong

protest with the ICC to ensure that some of these incompetent umpires

do not umpire in the rest of the series," he said.
The BCCI is learnt to have already lodged a strong protest through its

vice-president Rajiv Shukla and is trying to get Bucknor removed from

the third Test, citing a recent precedent in Sri Lanka where umpire Rudi

Keortzen was removed as umpire from the next match after he wrongly

ruled Kumar Sangakaara out - Sri Lanka subsequently lost the match.

Keortzen remained on the ICC posting list and came to India for the

Kolkata Test where he made another blunder, giving Rahul Dravid

out caught behind though the batsman hadn't nicked the ball.
Even match referee Mike Procter is said to be unhappy with the umpiring

by Bucknor and Benson in this match. They made a combined contribution

to a phenomenal 12 bad decisions in the match (see box) -- a record that

overshadowed some classical innings with the bat and ball.
"I can only say that I am disappointed. I think a draw would have been a

fair result but everybody could see what happened. Unfortunately,

I am not in a position to make further comment" Kumble said.
"It's tough when you've played all forms of cricket over the last 25 years

and end up on the losing side like this, it does affect you. You try and take

it sportingly, but it's very difficult and it hurts when you lose like this and

then when you've had a great chance to win."
From the dressing room, a few unmentionables were mouthed in disgust

as the horror on field was revisited on the laptop of team analyst Dhanjaya.
As he walked back, Rahul Dravid could be seen laughing, shaking his head

at Bucknor's decision ruling him out.
Sourav Ganguly was next, adjudged caught by Michael Clarke at second

slip when there was considerable doubt about the ball carrying - in fact

TV replays showed the ball hit the ground. As Ganguly stood his ground,

umpire Benson chose to go by Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke's word.

Ganguly left reluctantly.
The umpires saw their wrong acts on the giant screen even before Dravid

and Ganguly left the ground but didn't call back the players -

England's Kevin Peitersen was called back during India's first Test at Lord's.
Ponting, meanwhile, defended Bucknor and Benson. "The players haven't

lost their confidence in the umpires. Everybody realizes that they are

trying to do their best," he said.
Upstairs, in one of the glass cases at the SCG boxes, Sunil Gavaskar,

head of the ICC cricket committee, was fuming. "This is utter nonsense.

They have robbed the sheen of a good Test match," he said on air.

Australia proposes peace talks to end India row


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia captain Ricky Ponting has

been urged to hold peace talks with Indian skipper Anil Kumble

to try and resolve the escalating crisis between their teams.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland wants the

rival captains to hold a private meeting to avert any threat of

the tour being cancelled as tensions threaten to boil over.
The row, which has been simmering since Australia's tour of

India last October, erupted after the hosts pulled off a last-gasp

but highly controversial win over India in the second test at

Sydney on Sunday.
Kumble accused the Australians of bad sportsmanship and his

team mates were left fuming after their spinner Harbhajan

Singh was later suspended for racially abusing Australian

all-rounder Andrew Symonds.
India have appealed against the ban and lodged a counter

claim against Australian Brad Hogg, promoting Sutherland's

suggestion of a meeting between the captains.
"It's not for me to comment on whether Anil Kumble is out of line," Sutherland

told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.
"That is something that Anil and Ricky need to sit down and discuss.
"Anil Kumble had a fantastic test match as a captain and a player

and there is no doubt he was disappointed in the end.
"To some extent it's not surprising in that emotionally charged

environment to say what he did. But in the course of the next

few days it is time for the two captains to get together and have a chat."

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.

India confirm lodging complaint against Hogg


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Indian cricket officials have confirmed that

they have lodged an official complaint against Australian all-rounder

Brad Hogg for allegedly abusing Indian captain Anil Kumble during the second test.
Indian cricket board vice-president Rajiv Shukla told Reuters on

Monday the complaint was lodged with the International Cricket

Council on Sunday night while they were hearing the case involving

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh.
"The team management has lodged a complaint. Hogg used abusive

language against Anil Kumble on the ground," Shukla said.
Harbhajan was suspended for three tests after being found guilty of

racially abusing Andrew Symonds during the match by calling him a

monkey.
Harbhajan has denied the claims and plans to lodge an appeal.
Cricket Australia boss James Suthererland told reporters in Melbourne

on Monday that he had not been notified about any complaint lodged against Hogg.

Administrators back Australia's aggressive attitude


By Greg Stutchbury
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's hard-nosed approach to cricket,

which was questioned by India captain Anil Kumble after an enthralling

second test ended on

Sunday, has received the full support of Cricket Australia।

After his side had lost by 132 runs, Kumble said that "only one side

was playing with the spirit of the game" after several incidents दुरिंग

the test, which were headlined by India's Harbhajan Singh being banned

for three tests after he was found guilty of racially abusing एंड्र्यू

Symonds।

Harbhajan was cited by match referee Mike Procter after Australia

captain Ricky Ponting complained to on-field umpires Steve Bucknor

and Mark Benson the

off-spinner had called Symonds a "monkey"।

Ponting also signalled to umpires they should dismiss Saurav Ganguly

after Michael Clarke had taken a low catch, while the Indian team वेरे

also reportedly annoyed at Clarke and Symonds standing their ground when they had clearly edged deliveries।

Symonds was given not out while on 30 and went on to score an

unbeaten 161 in the match's first innings, which changed the nature of the game।

Australia also have a well-publicised history of "sledging" or वेर्बल्ली

abusing their opponents to put them off their game, however Cricket

Australia (CA) said on Monday they always played within the laws and the spirit of the sport। "It has always been the Australian way to play the game hard but fair," CA chief executive James Sutherland told reporters।
"Tough and uncompromising is certainly the way all आस्ट्रेलियन

teams have played। It does not matter who is the captain.

"This team under Ricky Ponting is no exception ... (and) Cricket

Australia supports the Australian team in its endeavours to play the

game as best as they possibly can।"