Harbhajan hit with three-match ban

Harbhajan Singh has been found guilty of making a racist comment to Andrew Symonds on the third day of the Sydney Test and slapped with a three-match ban. Mike Procter, the match referee, ruled at the end of a four-hour hearing that Harbhajan had breached Level 3 of the ICC's Code of Conduct. The Indian team management said it would appeal against the ban.

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Harbhajan Singh has been banned for three Tests for a racial slur against Andrew Symonds

The charge was brought by the on-field umpires after they received a complaint from Ricky Ponting, Australia's captain. The incident occurred when Harbhajan was batting with Sachin Tendulkar during India's first innings on Saturday. It was alleged that Harbhajan had an argument with Symonds, during which time he called Symonds a "monkey".

Announcing his verdict, Procter said: "I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh directed that word at Andrew Symonds and also that he meant it to offend on the basis of Symonds' race or ethnic origin."

The ban takes place immediately and so will rule Harbhajan out of the rest of the Test series. The Indian management have 24 hours to lodge an appeal with the ICC and, if they do so, he will be free to play pending that hearing.

It also emerged that the Indians levelled a counter-claim of abuse against Brad Hogg, Australia's left-arm spinner. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald said the Indians accused Hogg of using offensive language during the Test. The report stated that the hearing on Hogg's conduct will, in all likelihood, be held on Monday.

MV Sridhar, the assistant manager, who spoke to the media before the decision was announced, said there was no video or audio evidence involving Harbhajan. "We felt there was no substantial evidence," he said.

The Indian board president, Sharad Pawar has said he was determined to preserve strong ties between the India and Australia. "There is an extremely good relationship between the countries," he told the Melbourne-based Age. "There has been a conflict on the field and an issue has been reported by some players, but I don't want to react. It is important it should not spoil the relationship between the countries or the teams. That is not our desire."

Source : Cricinfo.com
 
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Indian team rallies around Harbhajan

Players unhappy with 'racist' branding

India's players have often been criticised for not standing up when it counted but on a day of high drama, they seemed to have done just that. They sent out a message saying they wouldn't leave Sydney until there was more clarity on the ban handed to Harbhajan Singh and decided to stick together through this crisis.

The players had a meeting that lasted close to two hours, where no member of the support staff was present, and they decided to stick firmly behind Harbhajan. They were hurt at the match referee's verdict and wouldn't accept the fact that one of their team-mates had been branded a 'racist'.

The players, set to leave for Canberra at 10:30 am, sat in the coach for close to two hours before returning to their respective rooms in the Radisson Hotel. They spent the day mainly indoors, though many lingered in the lobby, chatting with one another. Harbhajan, who appeared once in a while, was cheerful while the rest waited to hear the future course of action.

A number of players were seen with their wives - Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik and Sourav Ganguly. A tired Lalchand Rajput, the interim coach, spoke about how fatigued the players were: "[A] tough Test match, [and] a sleepless night after that." A number of the players used the day off to rest in their rooms, recuperating from what has been a charged few days.

The topics of discussion varied but did veer towards the contentious umpiring decisions in the game. Anil Kumble's strong statement at the end of the Test - "Only one team is playing in the spirit of the game" - was echoed by a number of players. The claiming of illegal catches was discussed, as were the scenes at the end of the game.

A sizeable crowd gathered in front of the hotel with rumours and speculation flying thick and fast. Will they go home? Will they leave for Canberra? Many questions floated around. A number of Indian expatriates were there, most of them wanting the team to take the bold step and return home. A number of photographers and television cameramen also waited outside.

It was interesting to see a number of players inquiring with the scribes about the "latest" news. "So much is happening around that we are more clueless about the situation than you think," said one player. "But you can gauge that the mood is one of hurt and disappointment."

What had disturbed them was the verdict on Harbhajan. "The team is very unhappy," said India's assistant manager MV Sridhar, "with actions both on and off the field. The Harbhajan incident has only added to what has been a forgettable Test match." It was unacceptable to them that one of their team-mates had been branded a 'racist', a slur which he would need to carry for the rest of his career.

The Indian board also sent out an emotionally-charged statement on the same. "It is an avowed policy of the Indian government to fight racial discrimination at every level and the India board has been at the forefront to eradicate it from the game of cricket," it read. "For the Indian board anti-racial stance is an article of faith as it is for the entire nation which fought the apartheid policies. The board has always fought the racist sledging of players and spectators and it will continue to do so."
 
India deny rumors of tour being called off


On a day of rapidly shifting events and wild rumours, which began early in the morning with the fallout of the previous day, the focus shifted to some degree from the umpiring in the Sydney Test to the three-match ban imposed on Harbhajan Singh for racial abuse.

Some crucial issues relating to the Indian tour were sorted out: rumours of the tour being called off were denied by the Indian team management, and the Australian board asserted it had not received any indication to that effect; the Indian board said it did not accept the ban and would appeal against it; and the Indian team, deeply disappointed and downcast, remained in Sydney, instead of leaving for Canberra on Monday morning as scheduled, waiting for a copy of the match referee's ban order which it received in the evening.

There has been speculation over the future of the tour but no official decision has been made yet. "As of now the tour is on," India's assistant manager MV Sridhar told mediapersons in the Hotel Radisson this evening. "We will await instructions from the BCCI."

The team was set to leave for Canberra by coach at 10:30 am local time but decided against it. Around 4.15 pm, Sridhar confirmed the team had been instructed by the BCCI to stay in Sydney till further instructions. Apparently the board wanted the team to stay in Sydney as the paperwork regarding the filing of appeal on behalf of Harbhajan needed to be done in good time. The players spent the day mostly in their rooms.

An hour later Sridhar said the team had received the official document regarding Harbhajan's ban, one where he was accused of a 'monkey' taunt against Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds. The team was intent on reading the detailed written order from the match referee, Mike Procter, to find out what the exact racism charges were. It was made clear that the team was upset with the extent of the punishment, especially since they felt there wasn't any evidence to prove the crime.

James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, had indicated that the Indian squad would not be heading home early and that the remaining two Tests should be played. "There's nothing to suggest that it won't [go ahead]," Sutherland said. "Sharad Pawar has overnight made such commitments, so that's good enough for me. We're looking forward to Perth now."

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the BCCI decided to appeal against the ban. "BCCI is filing an appeal challenging match referee Mike Proctor's order on spinner Harbhajan Singh," a statement from Pawar said. "Unfair allegation of racism against our Indian player is wholly unacceptable. The game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honour of India's cricket team and every Indian."

Ricky Ponting added to the debate on Monday in an interview with Channel Nine, when he declined to reveal what was said between Harbhajan and Symonds on the field but offered a blunt assessment when asked if the situation "smacks of racism". "I think that's been proven," Ponting said.

Ponting also said he was surprised by the speculation that India's tour might be cancelled and that they had not sent their players to Canberra as planned. "They're entitled to do whatever they think is appropriate at the time but for me that would be a little bit extreme, I must admit," he said. The day's first press conference was in fact a holdover from Sunday. Chetan Chauhan, the Indian team manager, spoke to reporters around 3:30 am, shortly after the ICC hearing conducted by Procter and attended by members of both camps. Chauhan announced the decision and said the team wasn't thinking of a boycott. However, it turned out the players weren't keen to continue until the issue over Harbhajan was made clearer.

The events come in the wake of India losing the second Test in Sydney in controversial circumstances, with a host of umpiring decisions going against them. The Indian board has already filed a complaint to the ICC on the standard of umpiring by Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson.
 
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