he word integrity and Ricky ponting are like two parallel lines. they shall never meet. When he has dropped the catch and told the umpire that he has taken it cleanly, where’s the question of integrity? About Symonds, he is very jealous of the reception given to the victorious Indian T20 team. thats none of his business. We are Indians and we love the game. Let Symonds practice more varieties of provoking the opponent

As in many countries, there was elements of racism in Australian sport. Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Australian sport witnessed any more or any less racism than many other countries.

Australian sports people have also been a part of important moments in human rights in sport – notably Peter Norman in the 1968 Olympics.

If you take the view that “what happens on the field, stays on the field” then bringing up any instance of abuse, racial or otherwise, is not a beneficial thing.

However, why should the Australian team, if they feel they have been on the end of racial abuse, be allowed to bring this up? It is their right. As much as it is any other player of any other country to lodge complaints against those they feel discriminate against them.

You sound like a reasonable guy… Can you please help me understand a small thing?

Until a few years ago, Aussies were the biggest offenders in terms of racism in their sports… So they decided to address it straight on… Fair enough…

Now how come they are quick in pointing out so-called ‘racism’ offenses by their other teams and are not able to root out racism from their own sports?

Isn’t it a bit strange?

Whether he said (and I don’t know if he did) it or not is a different argument. But to argue that a) monkey is not racist or b) the Indian team did not know (or accept that) is incorrect.

@amol – racist: “discriminatory especially on the basis of race or religion”. I think strangely enough that you may fall under that definition. Why the hate?

Next tym aus comes to tour south africa i will proudly brandish my huge banner saying: “Symmonds = Monkey” and symmonds can cry me a river

lets not pretend the australian cricket team cannot deal with a pre-teen insult..

take this nonsense for what it is.. an aus ploy to put india off there game.. and guess what it worked

watch sa beat the windies in 3 days!

its very nice to know that former australian legends, media and public are decrying the ponting & co. the way the played the cricket, they have brought the nation and the game to a great disrepute. a good lesson has been already taught to them. hope they will learn fromthis.

there is not proof that harbhajan has used the monkey word against symonds. but if he has used then he should be banned for 5 tests since he has brought great disrepute to all monkeys in the world by comparing them with a cheat/ fraud.

i am dissapointed by the poor performance by india but i am even more dissapointed by the umpiring mistakes and the three match ban. if i were to call a stranger on the road a monkey can that be racist? and if no-one else heard me say it and it is my word against his, can i be punished? 7 wrong decisions against a single team is dispicable, i do beleive that if the series continues the ICC will definitely have to take indias request of changing the umpire into consideration as there is plenty of physical evidence int he form of footage of the match that he made alot of wrong decisions.

(1) Ricky Ponting – (THE TRULY GENUINE CRICKETER OF THE CRICKET ERA AND WHOSE INTEGRITY SHOULD NOT BE DOUBTED) should be considered as the FOURTH UMPIRE. As per the new rules, FOURTH UMPIRE decision is final and will over ride any decisions taken by any other umpires. ON-FIELD umpires can seek the assistance of RICKY PONTING even if he is not on the field. This rule is to be made, so that every team should understand the importance of the FOURTH UMPIRE.

(2) While AUSTRALIAN TEAM is bowling, If the ball flies anywhere close to the AUSTRALIAN FIELDER(WITHIN 5 metre distance), the batsman is to be considered OUT irrelevant of whether the catch was taken cleanly or grassed. Any decision for further clarification should be seeked from the FOURTH UMPIRE. This is made to ensure that the cricket is played with SPORTIVE SPIRIT by all the teams.

(3) While BATTING, AUSTRALIAN players will wait for the ON-FIELD UMPIRE decisions only (even if the catch goes to the FIFTH SLIP as the ball might not have touched the bat). Each AUSTRALIAN batsman has to be out FOUR TIMES (minimum) before he can return to the pavilion. In case of THE CRICKETER WITH INTEGRITY, this can be higher.

(4) UMPIRES should consider a huge bonus if an AUSTRALIAN player scores a century. Any wrong decisions can be ignored as they will be paid huge bonus and will receive the backing of the AUSTRALIAN team and board.

(5) All AUSTRALIAN players are eligible to keep commenting about all players on the field and the OPPONENT TEAM should never comment as they will be spoiling the spirit of the AUSTRALIAN team. Any comments made in any other language are to be considered as RACIALISM only.

(6) MATCH REFREE decisions will be taken purely on the AUSTRALIAN TEAM advices only. Player views from the other teams decisions will not be considered for hearing. MATCH REFREES are to be given huge bonus if this rule is implemented.

(7) NO VISITING TEAM should plan to win in AUSTRALIA. This is to ensure that the sportive spirit of CRICKET is maintained.

(8) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: If any bowler gets RICKY PONTING – “THE UNDISPUTED CRICKETER WITH INTEGTIRY IN THE GAME OF CRICKET” more than twice in a series, he will be banned for the REST OF THE SERIES. This is to ensure that the best batsman/Captain will be played to break records and create history in the game of CRICKET.

These rules will apply to all the teams VISITING AUSTRALIA.

Similarly, the term “Porch Monkey” is also seen as a racist phrase.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4022489.stm

http://digg.com/basketball/NBA_Tries_to_Control_Racist_Fans

With that base established and the sensitivity of it from the previous series, Harbhajan’s effort was extremely poor and deserving of a ban. He could have sworn to his hearts content but he had to dig into an already sensitive word. I believe he did it in spite, with Symonds race as the target so what can he really expect?

As you want to make up some of your own sensational garbage, let’s take a look at that claim you have made. Here is the snip from the article you are complaining about.

“The Indian media also made an official complaint to the BCCI about what a journalist called the “humiliating” treatment from Ponting”

How do you suddenly know it was an insult? Maybe he was shoved? Maybe he was told to go away? Maybe he was ignored? Or maybe he was told off for challenging the integrity of a player. What’s the insult here? If you ask me, some media Joe who nobody knows of anyway (since there are so many of them) going up to and challenging a players integrity in interview is a pretty poor effort.

Further look at Peter English’s rhetoric at the conclusion of the match; likening Symonds’ frustration at not being given a wicket as something horrific and anything but a normal bowlers response. Glaring at an umpire, grimacing, storming away, etc etc. are extremely normal bowler behaviour. There’s the sensational media attitude for you though. Don’t we love it? =D

Get to the crux of the issue. Harbhajan has been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Like you, I am waiting expectantly to find out what the evidence was. The umpires said they heard nothing. The Australian’s said they had ample evidence, so is there something we don’t know yet? Did Tendulkar, honourable man that he is, admit that he heard something? Or was there something else.

Bad decisions happen almost every game. LBW’s are given when they shouldn’t and are not given when they should. To label the result of a game from bad decisions is folly, you are contradicting 100+ years of cricket.

I look at Jaffer, Dhoni, Dravid and Yuvi. These guys are letting you down much more than some dodgy calls going against you.

Vijay, it’s been established. Carry on. And please enlighten us with hard evidence of Jayasuriya being called a Monkey. You sound just like this sudden out-of-the-blue retaliation accusation of Brad Hogg using racism.

Now the things which frustrated me
1. India calling Steve Bucknor incompetant.
2. Steve Bucknor still umpiring. I believe concetration is the key for umpiring not just experience.
3. Watching 5 days of cricket 7 to 8 hours a day and witness 7 decisions go against your team and only a couple against opponets that too after they did the damage.
4. Umpires referring the catcher before giving a final verdict. That is just nonsense. Next thing you know they’ll have a home team fan do the judging Was it a catch close to the boundry? the fan says yes! That is out!
5. Bucknor not knowing where the bat and the ball were in two occasions. Really! Symonds non-dismissal and Dravid dismissal were more than pathetic decisions.
6. Ricky Ponting’s appeal for the catch he grounded. Arrogance shown to the journalist when asked about that.
7. Clark said he took a clean catch. That is certainly not in the right spirit of the game.

All being said I would say that the decisions given at the 5th day of a test match on a pitch like this are more crucial than the decisions given in the first day of the match. Symonds got really lucky this match.

But banning him for 3 tests on the basis of complaint from the australian team without evidence is not a good judgement.

If Harbhajan merely directly translated the word into English it really can’t be racist.

It’s similar to the word ‘Paki’, in England it is racist but everywhere else it isn’t, including India.

I’m not defending Harbhajan but merely trying to state that we have to know in which context the word was used, as Tendulkar defended Harbhajan afterwards as well.

happiest day of my life…

to see those minnowbasher FTBs Yuvraj “SissyBoy” Singh and Wasim “Overrated” Jaffer being brought back to earth after their rocketing rickety rickshaw rides thru a tickertape and whatnots for winning a silly 20over bash-out.

I know the umpiring was dodgy, but guys, honestly, aren’t you HAPPY to see the last of the Prince of Pretender Yuvraj Singh!!!

GO OZ GO

Remember who stopped aussies from there winning form last time?? and where??

Yeah, can’t wait for the Perth Test to begin n huh, who cares bout your bouncers.

Alps – winning isn’t everything? Hmmmm. With a world record at stake? With the feeling between the sides? With a bunch of superstars out for a last Aussie tour among the star-studded (yet, under-performing) Indian team?

Nope, this one wasn’t just about winning.

As for cheating, well, not walking is gentlemanly, but I’m not sure it’s outright cheating either.

All good stuff, can’t wait for the Perth Test. I imagine there might be a few bouncers fired in. Best series since the Ashes in 2005.

I’m pretty sure “idiot” is pejorative term and banned under the ICC code. Careful. I might have you up in front of Mike Proctor.

When the dust settles on this one, perhaps we might like to reflect on it in a historical sense. I wonder how many decisions have gone against visiting teams, over the course of a few decades, on the subcontinent?

Winning is not the only thing while playing. You win some you lose some. The point is about maintaining the spirit of the game. India lost so many matches against Aussies. There was never so much hot air as this. Winning 16 in a row does create a record in the books but the values and morales will always have their place as well.
I wish, all those who are involved in creating this hot air realise it some day and look at the game in a positive way rather than jst winning and creating stories.

Aussied did win today, but have lost loads of things.

I suspect you mean the Aussies?

Mate (there’s the give-away tip for you), what happens on the field stays on the field. If the Indians had won today (and gee, they came close) I doubt you would have had:

* Journos slandering the Indian captain (top bloke that he is) at a press conference;
* Aussie journos behaving as parochially as the travelling contingent have;
* CA jumping up and down like the BCC is (and I wonder how much of the BCC’s hot air is simply to placate a notoriously fickle domestic audience. Death threats anyone?); and
* Mean-spirited comments from the Aussie online community (such as we are seeing here).

Remember team, humble in victory and gracious in defeat.

By the way, I’m just pleased there is another rivalry to match the Ashes.

‘Brag the issue’… I’m sorry, I don’t know what that means. What issue exactly am I ‘bragging’ about?
And I do believe I questioned the validity of the occurrence in my second to last line.

I’m bored.