WHAT IS HAPPENING TO AUSTRALIAN CRICKET?

I love cricket; it’s a wonderful game, particularly at test level, but the crass stupidity that has been generated over the second Test against India in Sydney has turned my stomach. No one has come out of this with any honour and everyone involved looks stupid, and/or arrogant and/or petty.

In my opinion, the following actions ought to be taken:

• The three match ban on Harbajan Singh ought immediately to be overturned. There is obviously no independent evidence about what he said to Andrew Symonds; it’s one man’s word against another.
• And Mike Procter should never again be allowed to be a match referee.
• The ICC should advise the BCCI, firmly, that who umpires test matches is their decision, not the Indian Board’s. And Steve Bucknor should stand in the Perth test. If the Indians don’t like that, they can pack their bags and go home. Even so, someone from the ICC should have a quiet word to Bucknor about his performance in the second Test.
• Ricky Ponting should be publicly censured by Cricket Australia over his putrid attitude to this whole issue, in particular for being the person who demanded a hearing into the allegations about what Harbajan Singh may or may not have said to Andrew Symonds. Ponting may be a brilliant bat and a strategically excellent captain, but as a representative of Australian cricket on and off the field, he’s no better than second rate. (Bring back Steve Waugh). And Ponting should be in no doubt that, if he doesn’t buck his ideas up, he’ll be stripped of the captaincy. He is supposed to lead by example, not make a mockery of Australian cricket.
• Ponting and Anil Kumble should be told to sit down over a beer, a coffee or whatever, and told to sort out their differences, to make a press statement about that process, and make damned sure that they abide by whatever agreement they reach. So should Andrew Symonds and Harbajan Singh.
• The practice of “walking” should be outlawed. It’s divisive, and can’t possibly be kept up consistently. Everyone applauded Adam Gilchrist for walking – but would he always walk? And does that mean that Andrew Symonds should have walked, even though he acknowledged that he was out? The rule needs to be that the umpire’s decision is the ONLY one that counts, and if you don’t like it, tough.
• Cricketers should be banned from commenting on whether they thought they were out or not. Andrew Symonds did neither himself, the Australian team or cricket in general any favours by saying publicly that he knew he was out after scoring 30. Technically, he’s incorrect; he wasn’t out because the umpire didn’t say so. Making indiscreet comments like that helps no one. And here’s another reason for Ponting to be censured. He was “given a life” by the umpire early in his innings and was happy to accept that. But when he was given out lbw in questionable circumstances, he spat the dummy. You can’t have it both ways, particularly if you’re the captain.

As to the criticism that the Australians went way over the top in their celebration at winning the test, well, that’s probably a bit harsh. Given that “Pup” Clarke had taken 3 wickets in 5 balls with only minutes remaining, it’s hard to be too critical. And I don’t think it was substantially further over the top than Harbajan Singh’s celebration when he took Ponting’s wicket in the second innings.

And Kumble didn’t help by levelling counter-accusations of racism against Brad Hogg. The cricket authorities ought to take a deep breath and look seriously at this whole issue of racism. Does calling someone a few, perhaps questionable names justify the epithet, “racist”? I doubt it; it really just shows a degree of ignorance and childishness. Racism is a deeper, darker, more pervasive process rooted in social and structural attitudes. These incidents sound much more like schoolyard spats to me, and should be treated accordingly.

In general, this whole business has left a very unpleasant taste and has left Australian cricket (and, by extension, Australians generally) looking shoddy and petulant. Mind you, it’s also leaving the Indians, through the BCCI looking distinctly bullying as to the appointment of umpires, and, perhaps, showing more than a touch of sour grapes over losing the test.