Cricket's bad boys

Sydney's Daily Telegraph probably didn't realise that they were playing into Indian hands with this hatchet-job on India's disciplinary record. If anything, the "cricket sinners" list that they have drawn up based on offences under the ICC's code of conduct only reinforces the subcontinent view that players from the region are treated far more harshly than those from other countries.

Cast your mind back to the Port Elizabeth Test in 2001, following which Virender Sehwag and several others were penalised for excessive appealing. Watch a video of the match and wonder at the banshee wails that Shaun Pollock lets out every so often. At the end of the game, not a word was said to Pollock, or any of the other South Africans, whereas the Indians went down like a ton of lead in the Atlantic.

Think back too to a Test match between Pakistan and South Africa in 2003. Andre Nel is in every batsman's face mouthing one obscenity after another. Luckily, most of the Pakistanis don't speak English fluently, and even those that do struggle to make any sense of Nel's Transvaal accent. Towards the end of the game, Shoaib Akhtar lets fly with a four-letter word. The reaction? A five-match ban? Nel? Nothing, zilch, just another fast bowler with an aggressive streak.

There are plenty more incidents, especially involving a certain match referee and Muttiah Muralitharan, which would help you to understand just why the Asian teams feel paranoid about certain match officials. When you think that Glenn McGrath didn't even cop a one-match ban for the ugly incident with Ramnaresh Sarwan, it's easy to see why the table of sins drawn up by the Telegraph is pretty meaningless.

Few international teams contain 11 Mother Teresas, and we'd all do well to acknowledge that. But to use statistics to suggest that the Australians are 1.5 times better behaved than the Indians is to enter the realm that the Brothers Grimm specialised in. As Neil Manthorp, South Africa's best-known journalist, wrote: "The Aussie way, so cherished and protected by generations of players, includes the perfectly acceptable (to them) habit of questioning their opponents' sexual practices and orientation, their parentage and, indeed, the apparent bedroom fetishes of their sisters."

To then focus on the Indians seems a little like the pot claiming to be more fair and lovely than the kettle.

Comments

[ravi]

Mike Procter the ICC referee penalised Harbhajan by banning him for three tests. The allegation was that Harbhajan called Symonds “monkey”. Judge’s duty is to establish that allegation is true and if so the word is racist. From all accounts it seems that 2 Australians players believed Symonds was telling the truth and 1 Indian players believed that Harbhajan was telling the truth. No one really heard the word being uttered. The microphones did not pick up the conversation. The umpires denied hearing. Here is a judgement based on all hearsay. Mr. Procter said that he grew up in apartheid system and he understands racism. In every society one is not guilty unless proven. I have not seen any evidence in the media that Harbhajan was guilty. If Mr. Procter has some evidence he should provide that to the media. In the absence of any evidence one can only conclude that Mr.Procter still lives in his old South Africa where judgements were issued not based on natural justice but on personal whim and attitude.

[ravi]

For some years now Cricket has become a sport where big money is at stake. Players, Umpires, Officials are all very well paid. All that money directly or indirectly comes from the cricket fans. Cricket fans are entitled to witness real sport and real justice. It is the duty of ICC to make it happen. The following suggestions in my view should be implemented.
1. Technology must be introduced immediately with some provisos like number of challenges per innings.
2. All the microphones on the ground should be switched on all the time so that the whole world can hear. There no reasons for not doing this unless they want to hide something. As soon as the public is able to hear everything that said on the field the players will all behave like grown ups. The only objection could be that when the captain is setting the field and discussing the strategy with the bowler they would not want others to hear. Those couple of minutes they both should strand far away from the microphones and this is a small price to pay.
3. All disciplinary proceedings should be available to the public like any other court in a democracy. Use normal principle of justice like beyond reasonable doubt.
4. Sledging should be banned. The only reason sledging has been allowed is that the Australians think it is part of the game. Now everybody has taken to sledging and it has gone too far and disgraced the sport. All these years sledging could not be stopped because until 5 years ago Australia and England had veto powers in ICC. There is no need to define sledging. Just ban it. Players can carry normal conversation if they wish but no verbal attacks or comments. They are there to play and not abuse each other. One does not come across sledging in Golf or Tennis. Cricket fans want to see cricket not this kind of uncivilised behaviour. If the current level of sledging is allowed to continue it is possible that it will go from verbal attack to physical attack. Without sledging Australia will probable loose more matches.

I urge all the cricket lovers to pressurise ICC to ban sledging.

[ravi]

Some so called civilised people are complaining about India flexing its financial muscle in the world of Cricket. Until 5 years ago Australia and England had veto powers in ICC which meant nothing can be achieved by other members (it did not matter how good a cricket nation one was) until those two agreed. Giving veto powers to few members in any organisation is undemocratic, uncivilised and in my opinion it is only 1 or 2 steps away from MAFIA like setup. The people who are now complaining about India were conveniently silent all these years. The fact is India has at last learnt to use its muscle wherever possible, the technique they have learnt from the exoerts – BRITISH AND AUSTRALIANS

[Dileep]

The hatchet-job was written after that blog went up. The one-eyed coverage from both sides has been terribly disappointing.

[Harry]

Hi Dileep,
Does the Doosra have a bigger Indian audience than the Guardian?
I refer to last week's piece in their sportsblog

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/01/09/india_where_truth_is_up_for_gr.html

No mention of Hatchet jobs there and surprisingly little comment from our sub-continental friends.

[PKIndian]

Evidently, it's wrong for the BCCI to have so much money and clout. It's right only for the Brits and the Aussies to have the money and the clout. When the English were running the game, did Indians ever say when disgruntled, "Oh, it's because the ECB has power and money." Oh no. Indians were supposed to shut up and sit down because they were supposed to know their place. And that's what they did. Now, when Indians of the younger generation just aren't going to take any crap, you're all upset at how the BCCI can kick out a grossly incompetent Bucknor.

Wake up and smell the coffee. This is not just about the cricket. What's happening is a metaphor for changing global realities. Adapt, or lose.

[rahul]

Hey Oscar,

So you think "doing impressions of a monkey" is less offensive than "looking like a monkey"? After all the ruckus this term has generated, after all the spat on Harbhajan how he should have taken a cue from what happened in October? Seriously?

I do agree Bhajji made a poor choice of words, and am NOT protesting the sentence, if he indeed said the word. But this from a public figure in Australia, was simply not necessary. I would rank it right up there with Bhajji's gaffe. You wouldnt?

Cameron,
I agree with you. Bhajji definitely said something and as you say the process is in place to sort it out. And really if Bhajji broke the law he might as well pay for it.

[Rick]

I can appreciate the sense of being discriminated against that the sub-contintent teams may feel. I don't think it's all a fabric of their imaginations, as there seem to be some double-standards at play at times, especially in terms of punishment for excessive appealing. The problem is that reactions such as threatening to pull out of a tour or failing to return to the field in a test match, etc. do nothing to highlight these injustices, but only serve to make them more justified.
I do get a little sick of comments along the lines of arrogant Aussies getting put in their place and Ponting, Gilchrist, Hayden, et al being unsportsmanlike. The arrogance is simply the interpretation of the perception of players/fans from the beaten side. These players behaved as they usually do. Gilchrist is probably the only committed "walker" in Intl cricket, and Ponting is competitive to the last ball, although even he called off a catch in the 1st innings.
Quite a few Aussies didn't like the way the English celebrated after their Ashes victory in 05, but I bet there's not an English fan who thought it was inappropriate or arrogant. Truth is, it's tough being on the losing team and your perspective can be blurred as a result.

[Cameron]

Rahul,
Thanks for pointing it out the article in the Australian. While Barry Cohen could have and should have avoided the reference to Harbhajan as a monkey, this is simply juvenile, and he makes at least one error of fact, he does make some very good points and reflects many Australian views of the argument.
Cohen is wrong when he stated that 5 Australians claim to have heard what Harbhajan said. from what I have seen reported only 3 Australians (Symonds, Clarke & Hayden) testified that they heard the conversation the other testified they did not hear the conversation. Exactly what Tendulkar testified we do not know because this detail has not been reported. Does he claim to have heard the conversation or is he just relying on Harbhajans say so? I think almost every Australian and almost any jurist around the world would reject the view that Tendulkar's word should automatically be accepted above that of the Australians with the implicit assumption that the Australians are therefore lying.

The reality is that almost no one knows the full story and there is a process in place to deal with the Indian appeal against the decision. Some of the speculation and venom that has been dealt out is shear nonsense and conspiracy theory. The rest of the world would have a lot more sympathy for the sub continent if every time things didn't go exactly their way they didn't pull out the racism card and were seen to have at least some degree of self regulation and criticism. It is hard to take the complaints of Pakistan seriously, for example, when two of their fast bowlers faced no punishment at all despite testing positive to steroids.

[Punit]

The point, Sudeep, is not that Indians feel they are the most discriminated against, but that teams from the Indian sub-continent are. Read the article before shouting off nonsense.

On the whole, I think Umpires do a good job, but there are certain teams who really do a fantastic job in "pressuring Umpires" (cheating) and "pressuring the opposition" (sometimes against the spirit of the game).

The BCCI are simply ridiculous and always have been. They are the quintessential "men in grey suits". In it for their own feifdom rather than love of the game. And to be fair, ICC is just as bad. I'm tired of this entrenched argument.

I think India have a point, but have made it very badly. ICC and Australia need to listen without their Supremacy Mufflers on.

[Oscar the Grouch]

Rahul - obviously you read a different story than the one you quoted: the phrase Cohen used was: 'the bizarre behaviour of Harbhajan, who did his impressions of an acrobatic monkey'.

Personally, I thought Bhaji did a fairly poor impression of a soccer player. But mate, if you are going in to bat for the honour of Indians against Australian insults, do your nation a favour and get it right. Otherwise, you run the risk of someone branding you as an overzealous Indian.

And hey, since so many of your countrymen have been at pains to point out that calling someone a monkey is actually a term of endearment, how can you now denounce Cohen for such a fine comparison? Or is there actually a doubt in your mind that the term might be offensive? I know we Aussies can be a bit slow on the uptake, mate, but you're not helping to clear the air here and refine our understanding of Indian culture.

[Brett]

You poor sodding whingers. I can hear the violins from here. India has taken the "Whinger" mantle from the poms hands down. Carrying on like a second hand lawnmower!! At least you lot have won something.....The Whinger Award

[Mancindian]

Actually the most gratifying thing to come out of this whole palaver is the demonstration from fair-minded Aussie sports fans, who constitute the majority in Australia, that they will not blindly support Ponting and his unsportsmanlike colleagues in their approach to the game. I find this to be really gratifying: the contrast between the high principles of the 1948 Invincibles and Ponting's brand of low skullduggery is there for all to see. It is to India's immense credit that they have not pulled out of the tour already, given the kangaroo court that has branded Singh a racist without a shred of evidence.

[Rohit]

Sean Robinson, of course it will be 4-0. How can it be any different when its 13 Australians vs 11 Indians. The 13 including such "talented individuals" as Messers Bucknor and Benson!!! Michael Holding went on record a couple of days back saying he believes the Australians put so much pressure on an umpire that he has seen good umpires fall to pieces in Australia. Of course Procter and his fellow ICC mates don't see that. Its just Aussies playing "aggresive" cricket. But God help any sub-continent cricketer if he is even remotely as "aggresive".

[rahul]

Hey Dileep,

Check this out. Barry Cohen (former Aussie labour minister) calls Harbhajan a monkey. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23046296-16143,00.html
Harbhajan's had the incessant chatter from Symond's as an excuse. Whats Barry's? Fairly disturbing huh? Or am I going to be branded as an overzealous Indian. Harbhajan cant call anybody a monkey, but an Aussie labour minister oh sure. And he was ranting about how the Aussies were doing it all according to the book.

[T.Krishnan]

Another point missed by the Sydney Daily Telegraph's statistics is the number of matches on which the number of punishments are based---after all, India and Indian players play a lot more matches than other teams and their players. It would also be interesting to classify it by the match referees and the type of offence. Of course the main reason for the difference (even if the statistics are correct) is the discriminatory manner in which the code is applied. Your examples show that.
Peter van der Merwe said in Chennai that if the player is white, he considers it disappointment and if he is brown he considers the same action dissent. Damien Fleming went scot-free; Sourav Ganguly was suspended for three matches for a less serious offence!

[Sean Robinson]

I had forgotten Tendulker was also a guilty ball tamperer. No wonder his word counts for so little in hearings these days. This really applies to the whole Indian team, which heads the list of ICC rebukes and disciplinary actions. They should try to get a decent set of batters, bowlers and fielders, rather than recruit a bunch of spin masters. I am looking forward to further Indian humiliation when this current series finishes with a 4-nil result.

[Cameron]

Dileep,
You make the comment that a slow over rate in is not as bad as offensive language. Viewed in the context of widespread accusations of cheating against the Australians by Indian media and fans I would ask the following question. In the context of a game that is heading towards a tight finish what is more likely to constitute cheating, delibartely slowing down play or a bit of bad language? The answer is quite clearly slowing down the over rates.
In my view what the Daily Telegraph was doing in a very blunt way was giving rise to the frustration that many Australian fans are feeling at the full scale attack on the Australian team by the Indian officials, media and fans which suggests that the Australians are guilty and the Indians are completely without sin. Most Australian fans, whilst vigourously supporting their team, have a realistic view and know that there are elements of the their behaviour that is questionable at time. We have a low tollerance level for supporters of any team who have a completely one eyed, unquestioning view of their own team.

[Peter b]

Dileep,

Soory on my last post I also meant to add - Australian's wind back the sledging a bit. No too much but some.

The Sri Lankan sledge on Pollock on Youtube is an absolute classic as is the Sth African one the Kenyan.

By the way Marsh has a younger brother that some rate more highly.

[Peter b]

Dileep,

The "dorothy dix" from blizard was huge & I near broke my neck watching it.

I agree with calls to technology in the slower form of the game but for 20/20 it is just too slow.

By the way do you think any other nation could have put on such a high quality game without any of it's national players?

Glem Mitchell(ABC radio commentator) made the point that people remeber what happens in Test matches rather than in limited over games.

I think to a fair degree he is right so stuff ups in 20/20 aren't really significant compared to a Test match stuff up.

I think
1) Each team gets a limited number of appeals
2) Batsmen are not expected to walk
3) Umpires decide catches
4) Having only 8 effective international umpires is ridulous. They need 20 & the ICC needs to have at least 20. At $250,000 each that is only $5million. Peanuts compared to the money in the game.

At that rate of pay you would get quality but they would not have to stay on too long as they would have put enough away in 10 years. What other game has 60 year old umpires?

[Sudeep]

You bet Indians are wrong when they think they are the most discriminated-against race in cricket, there are the Lankans and the Pakis who score equally . Coming back to the spirit of the game issue, how do you justify Ponting's giving Ganguly out with a straight face as if every decision he makes is bathed in the virtue of truthfulnss. If a batsman nicks a cricket ball, there'e only one guy in the planet whose 100 % sure whether he's nicked it or not ...and that's he himself. And what does this guy do when he nicks one down the leg ... he stands his ground. I don't know what's that called downunder, but you call it cheating in the rest of the world. If I start giving examples of similar situations,I might run out of space here. Actually, I think it's not much of Ricky's fault either. I think it's a gem of a case for a psychologist to study. Maybe your mind plays strange games on you when you are standing on the doorstep of a world record. Maybe when you are inches away from being the best in the world, the spirit in which you play the game takes a back seat in your mind. I think the Indians have made an excellent gesture by withdrawing the charges aagainst Hogg. Goes to show the difference ....

[chandra]

All of you need to get a Life. This oneupmanship, I am just sick of it. Get over it.

[samraj]

Sorry chaps, you don't know need much IQ to that see McGrath should have been penalized for at least couple of games in the Sarawan incident. Even if you were to have half the brain cells as my 6yr old has who keeps saying that's not out - you'll agree that teams from Sub Continent has always suffered from biased officials.

[Ernie]

They are all Muppets really

[sunil mehta]

What you say may be true and bias exists in every walk of life unfortunately, particularly against people of color. Here in the US Silicon Valley we fought it by starting our own tech companies and being the best damn engineers we could be, to the point where we now have earned the grudging respect of the world. Why not focus on the Indians' inability to play the game at the highest level? They have failed time and again so let's not encourage them by giving them an excuse of bad calls etc. We need to create a system that produces the best players in the world - not whiners who try and outdo the Aussies in sledging but fold like a flimsy tent under pressure. Australian boorishness should have given them extra incentive to hold their ground. They forfeited the right to whine by losing 3 wickets in one over to lose an important match. They have let down their fans and well-wishers more times than not. All the rest is poppycock.

[Urban_legend]

I beleive the time has come to put an end to this - though the media may find it difficult to kill the golden goose - so as long as we are at it how about Rashid Latif and the 5 match ban for claiming a grounded catch vis-a-vis Ponting/Clarke:)

[suresh]

The article hits the nail on its head. There is absolutely no doubt that the sub-continent players have been systematically tarted and umpiring decisions, match refree decisons have consistently gone against them. The only thing the sub-contient players are good at doing is sulk in silence. There are not enough adminstrators of the game from the sub-continent except for one of venkat or madugale. Hence, there is a need for subcontient folks to enter into the adminstration of the game in big way in order to ensure that the adminstrators are sensitized to the concerns of sub-continet players.

[Phil]

Dileep, interesting article and I see where you're going with this but what's the solution? Seems to me the purists believe the game should be played in the same spirit of 50 years ago, when the boards keep the cash and the players were tossed a few shillings as an aside. Much easier to play within the 'spirit of the game' when your livelihood isn't on the line. Rightly or wrongly, the money in the game now dictates attitudes are bound to get worse, not better. I'd suggest my old headmaster's treatment for playground petulance; don gloves and go at in the ring for a few rounds. Just think, additional TV rights and revenue all round!

[Dileep]

Peter, I watched snippets of that game. Stunning innings from Marsh, even if in vain. I just reckon there's too much at stake to just go by the umpires' word these days, especially when it comes to contentious decisions. Both captains said the same at the end of the match too. Sad, but true.

[kinshuk]

nel, slater, ponting, mc grath, warne............the list is huge......

the way they behaved on and off the field is known to everyone (and ignored by those with prejudices to satisfy).....

yet, they never got the harsh punishment meted out to Asians......

in fact, the xtremely well behaved ponting once abused an indian bowler when he was hit on the helmet by a bouncer (the bowler had been rude enough to ask if he was ok)
anyone who has watched this incedent or the dravid-slater incident will know which is the better behaved side and which is not??

[Peter b]

Hey Dileep,

Firstly I meant to say previously that I reckon it's awesome that everybody can give their opinion. Some I have thought were pretty off but that's the thing about free speech. Sometime you have to hear things you don't like

Secondly have you had a look at the vision of the WA v Vic 20/20 Final that was played at the WACA

I'm West Auatralian & we hate the Vics & we copped some crap decisions but and it is a big but we took them.

Ronchi took Crossthwaite's word , the run outs went against us but apart from some good tempered booing there was no carry on.

The message is that Australian cricketers accept the call & get on with it. Umpires stuff up. Get over it & get on with it.

If an umpire is incompetent then there are the proper ways to go about it

[Oscar the Grouch]

Dileep - yes, the whoop of joy one could almost hear behind that article certainly drowned out any rattle of neurones flashing: 'think about this' before they rushed into print. Anybody with an IQ much more than their age would realise that neither side is composed of angels, and most of us know that there have been some celebrated examples of unfair decisions on that score over the past years.

The Aussie press has been of very variable quality on this, as has the Indian. For sheer hypocritical biased nonsense, I think that the articles by that morally repugnant little expatriate Englishman (have to be careful, don't I?) Roebuck writing in the Sydney Morning Herald takes the cake. On the other side of the coin, I'm inclined to nominate Suresh Menon's 'Some Balance, Please' as the most courageous attempt to have things seen with the emotion filter turned firmly on. You and Patrick Kidd have also popped your heads well above the trenches and into the crossfire, and some of the Aussie cricket specialists columnists have delivered hard-hitting but well-deserved criticism of both sides with the right balance of that going to the principal offenders (and yes, my team knows just who I am talking about, even if they are a excessively coy about admitting it).

As for those who should be taken out behind the sheds and well and truly sorted - hell, there's only so much of the century left, it isn't going to happen. Which is a pity; the lists of walking wounded from the process would remove the space that might otherwise be used for more of this sort of claptrap to be reported..

[Dileep]

No one said anything about Indians being martyrs or saints, but the fact remains that the Telegraph never bothered to break up the numbers. Let's face it, being penalised for slow over-rate is not the same as being fined for abusive language. And whether you like it or not, there have been huge double standards in the application of the laws. The Shoaib-Nel situation I described was a classic example.

[Peter b]

I would certainly agree that perhaps asian teams may feel hard done by but seriously for one player to get penalised 15 times!!!

For each example you quoted I'm sure an opposute example could be found

Are you suggesting the system is that unfair. Surely this is a ridiculous assetion

Australians would never pretend that our team is sinless (in fact I wish that they would clean up their act a little)but are we are less than impressed at the hysterical outpouring that paints the team as a bunch of crazy cheats

Hard certainly. Over the top occaisionally but nothing that justifies the vilification that has occurred.

The vituperation and slandering of the umpires has been beyond the pale & an immature attempt at blame shifting.
All that has happened is that a vast reservoir of sympathy has been washed away. Australians know that India got the worst of the umpiring but that happens. Yes I agree with Bucknors replacement but not the way it was done.

Indian's should be asking why a population of over 1 billion cannot produce a team to play the game which is the biggest in their land to beat a team from a small nation where it isn't the major game. Cricket in Australia does not get the first choice athletes.

It is this continuing need to fight the odds that drives Australian's to excel in sport. Whether this is healthy is another debate.

I think Ganguly's attitude in recognising the will to win of the Australian team is something that needs to be picked up by the rest of the tea, as is Kumble's seemingly inexhaustable courage,skill, determination & ability to find a way to compete

[Rusty]

You miss the point with this Telegraph article, which was a response to the daily accusations printed in Australia, by the Indian team, management and media this past week, of Australia's lying and cheating ways. The writer finally got sick of this hypocrisy from the Indians and looked up their own unsavoury record. But of course, as you say, no Indian will pay the slightest attention because they KNOW that all the ICC infringements against them were simply because of bias, because Indians are spotless martyrs and the most discriminated-against race on the planet. Far more so than blacks have ever been, of course.

Fairly meaningless dross from you in this post, but Indians will lap it up wholesale.