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I found Indian cricketers as gentleman: Bird
2008-01-11 09:06:00
Indian cricketers can take pride for carrying the tradition of maintaining the spirit of the game with legendary umpire Dickie Bird saying he has always found them "gentleman" and all past Indian players have been a credit to the game."I have always found Indian team going back to Gavaskar, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, Wadekar, when I umpired them, as gentleman and I mean in all sense of the term. They all have been credit to the profession and credit to the game of cricket," Bird said.Bird said the Australian players of his era also played the game with spirit."Players like Lillie, Johnson, Marsh, Chappell brother, in that Australian team and they played hard but always played with the laws and the spirit of the game. And if I thought things are getting out of control, I used to have quite word with both captains," said the English umpire.Bird said the incidents which marred the Sydney Test could have been avoided by the timely intervention of the two umpires. "The two umpires would...
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Anil Kumble says Australia triggered crisis
2008-01-11 05:47:00
In an exclusive article, the India captain writes that Australia started the teams' row by showing a disregard for the spirit of the game.I would like to begin by pointing out that someone [Michael Clarke] clearly edged the ball to the slips in the second innings of the Sydney Test and stood there even when there was not an iota of doubt over the dismissal. The same player then claimed a catch that showed more than reasonable doubt and said he was 100 per cent certain it was clean. At this point, a few days before the Test in Perth, I can tell you that that sort of behaviour will play a big role in my decision whether to continue the agreement that Ricky and I had made before the series began. We had decided that in the case of a disputed catch we would take the word of the fielder concerned, if he was certain. But that agreement was based on the premise that, come what may, whatever the situation, the fielder concerned would be completely straight on what happened. Now, there will...
More About: Crisis , Anil Kumble , Kumble

Removing Bucknor was the right thing to do, for match and series : Speed
2008-01-10 07:47:00
I love the fact that people in India are so passionate about cricket and their national team. It is proof to me that the game is strong and that people have a genuine sense of belonging to cricket and also that cricket belongs to them. That has to be a good thing.It means that when things go right for India, like during the inaugural ICC World Twenty20, the country celebrates as a group in a wash of colour and excitement. It also means that when things go wrong, the country mourns as one.The events of the current series between Australia and India have triggered an enormous reaction in India and I?m sure the readers of the Hindustan Times have been keeping a close eye on proceedings Down Under.In relation to the replacement of Steve Bucknor as umpire for the third Test, we recognised from the outset that the umpiring in the second Test was below the very high standard we have come to expect from our Elite Panel and we noted with concern the public backlash to it and realised that we...
More About: Series , Match , Speed , Thing

?Justice?, ?Truth? prevail; New India has its say
2008-01-10 05:54:00
Who rules world cricket? Not the ICC and not even the India n Board. Going by the events of the past few days, which has left the sport in tatters and reputations bruised, exposing the ugly underbelly of the sport, the one entity that feels ?vindicated? and is in a celebratory mood is the ?Indian Nation?.Fuelled by endless ammunition from the all-powerful TV channels, backed by the print media, the Indian public has felt so outraged that its opinion and judgment mattered more than what anyone else thought was right or wrong. There was justified anger. There was self-righteous indignation. There was reasoned argument and there was illogical, irrational understanding of the sport itself. It went on and on. Emotions got exploited and the Nation felt betrayed. How dare the cricketing world treat us, who control the economic levers of the game, like an orphaned child whose cry for justice is being ignored? How dare anyone mess up with New India? In the end ?Justice ? and ?Truth ? prevailed....
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Kumble says he still respects Australian players
2008-01-09 14:06:00
SYDNEY (Reuters) - India captain Anil Kumble says he harbours no ill feelings towards Australia's players after last week's bad-tempered second test and wants to meet with Ricky Ponting to clear up any differences.Kumble admitted he was upset at some of the actions of Australia's players during the match but did not hold any grudges."It was only meant for the Sydney game," he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. "I have great respect and regard for all the players who play for Australia."It was just one of those incidents which everybody has seen."Kumble accused the Australian s of breaching the spirit of cricket in a comment that evoked memories of Bill Woodfull's claims against the English in the 1932-33 Bodyline series.The Australians have defended their actions, saying they played the game hard but fair, and have been backed up by Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland.The International Cricket Council has appointed a mediator to speak with Kumble and Ponting ...
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Calls for Ricky Ponting to be sacked grow Down Under
2008-01-09 13:47:00
National embarrassment about the bad behaviour of the Australia players in the Sydney Test has led to unexpected recriminations and soul-searching in the normally jingoistic home press. The Harbhajan Singh affair, together with the issue of the Australia players? gamesmanship in the second Test, is such a big story here that it is not only front, back and inside-page news, but also general feature and leader material.?Victory without honour? was the damning headline on The Sydney Morning Herald?s opinion page yesterday. Even more challenging was the headline at the top of the paper?s front page: ?For the sake of our integrity, the arrogant Ponting must be sacked.? Underneath, Peter Roebuck, the former Somerset and England A captain who is a naturalised Australian citizen, wrote: ?If Cricket Australia cares a fig for the tattered reputation of our national team in our national sport, it will not for a moment longer tolerate the sort of arrogant and abrasive conduct seen from the capt...
More About: Calls , Sacked , Ricky Ponting , Grow

Never mind the ?Bollyline?, this is one of the great Australia sides
2008-01-09 13:40:00
It is never nice to see cricket in the headlines for the wrong reasons. In a lot of ways I thought the Sydney Test between Australia and India was a fantastic game with an exciting finish. Not too many go down to the wire like that but, unfortunately, I guess it will be remembered for other events.I am not getting involved in the ?Bollyline? controversy because it would not help a difficult situation. People need to calm down. Suffice to say that it was not the first time that umpires have made mistakes, and it will not be the last. I hope that everything can be sorted out so we have another great game in Perth next week.If Australia win that one, it will stretch the successful run to 17 Tests. When we went up to 16 wins in 2001, I never thought that the record would be equalled. Apart from having to play really well, there are just so many potential factors out of your control ? poor pitches, injuries or heavy rain at the wrong time.Back then it took something special to bring the ...
More About: Great , Sides , Mind , Olly

Lee, Hussey in Bollywood drama as controversy rages
2008-01-09 11:48:00
SYDNEY: As the furore over the Indian cricket tour raged on Tuesday, Australian stars Brett Lee and Mike Hussey were playing out their own Bollywood drama at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Lee and Hussey are among some 20 international cricketers playing themselves in the Indian movie 'Victory' being shot in Australia. As Lee fielded for the cameras at the site of the controversial second Test which ended in acrimony on Sunday, the Australian team was fending off harsh questions about their sportsmanship. India narrowly lost the Test, giving the Australians a 2-0 lead in the four match series, and captain Anil Kumble afterwards complained that 'only one team was playing with the spirit of the game'. The tour was thrown into jeopardy after Indian officials ordered Kumble's team to stay in Sydney as they appeal against Harbhajan Singh's three-match ban for allegedly calling Australia's only black player, Andrew Symonds, a 'monkey'. Lee would not comment on the cont...
More About: Drama , Controversy , Rages

ICC will not be held to ransom, says Malcom Speed
2008-01-09 11:42:00
Malcolm Speed insists the International Cricket Council will not be held to ransom by India over the Harbhajan Singh affair.India have threatened to pull out of their current tour of Australia if spinner Harbhajan is not cleared of racial abuse on appeal.The spin bowler has been banned for three Tests after being found guilty of calling Australia?s Andrew Symonds ?a monkey? during an ill-tempered second Test in Sydney last week.India initially suspended their tour schedule while they lodged an appeal but yesterday announced their programme would ?continue for the present? after being placated by the removal of umpire Steve Bucknor, after a number of controversial decisions went against India in Sydney.Harbhajan will be permitted to play while his appeal is pending but that could be heard before the end of the series and Speed, the ICC chief executive, insists India will have to abide by any ruling. ?I am very pleased the tour is going ahead, there is a process in place for appeals a...
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ICC asks Cricket Australia to rein in Ponting & Co
2008-01-09 10:01:00
MELBOURNE: The ICC has urged Cricket Australia to reign in Ricky Ponting 's men in the light of all-round criticism of their on-field behaviour during the ill-tempered second Test against India. ICC CEO Malcolm Speed said CA needs to take notice of the criticism being directed at its team by the public, former players and commentators. "The team is being criticised, members of the team are being criticised and they need to to be aware of that -- they need to respond to that," Speed was quoted saying in the 'Herald Sun'. "All national teams should play cricket in the right spirit. We need to be clear what that means," he said. Speed said he was relieved that the replacement of umpire Steve Bucknor prevented an international crisis. "We could have gone in banging the table and playing `who blinks first', we could have turned what is already an international incident into an international crisis." "What we have elected to do, and we have given some serious thought about this, is to ...
More About: Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia defends Ponting & Co, says sparks are bound to fly
2008-01-09 10:00:00
Cricket Australia (CA) on Wednesday threw its weight behind Ricky Ponting and his teammates against accusations of unsporting behaviour and said sparks are bound to fly when the game is Test cricket and not "tiddlywinks".CA chief executive James Sutherland looked unperturbed by the barrage of criticism that has been hurled at Ricky Ponting and his teammates for their arrogance and unsporting behaviour that marred the Sydney Test against India.According to Sutherland, Ponting and his men might have mouthed a word or two in the heat of the moment but they never overstepped the line. "Test cricket is what is being played here. It's not tiddlywinks," said Sutherland, asserting Australia always played the game hard but fair."It's a tough game and out there from time to time emotions will bubble over and perhaps some of the words that are said will not be acceptable in genteel company. But they are said and that is what happens," he told reporters.He said Ponting's team was just contin...
More About: Cricket , Cricket Australia , Bound

ICC will not be held to ransom, says Malcom Speed
2008-01-09 06:13:00
Malcolm Speed insists the International Cricket Council will not be held to ransom by India over the Harbhajan Singh affair.India have threatened to pull out of their current tour of Australia if spinner Harbhajan is not cleared of racial abuse on appeal.The spin bowler has been banned for three Tests after being found guilty of calling Australia?s Andrew Symonds ?a monkey? during an ill-tempered second Test in Sydney last week.India initially suspended their tour schedule while they lodged an appeal but yesterday announced their programme would ?continue for the present? after being placated by the removal of umpire Steve Bucknor, after a number of controversial decisions went against India in Sydney.Harbhajan will be permitted to play while his appeal is pending but that could be heard before the end of the series and Speed, the ICC chief executive, insists India will have to abide by any ruling. ?I am very pleased the tour is going ahead, there is a process in place for appeals a...
More About: Ransom , Held

Bhajji, and everyone else, on the beach
2008-01-09 06:12:00
On Monday night, at the end of yet another day of uncertainty and tension, with the siege of Sydney entering its second day, it was decided that the Indian players here needed to do something different on Tuesday. ?There had been no practice, no physical activity to get the body moving, get them involved,? said assistant manager MV Sridhar. The day had gone by in people walking around waiting for news from the Board, which could come anytime. ?We thought it was important to do something that would also get them involved, lift the mood, get them out of the hotel.? India trainer Greg King, charged with organising the project, came up with the idea of the trip to Bondi Beach . It made perfect sense: If the players had to bond, then why not do it somewhere that had sun, surf and sand? Finally though, there wasn?t all that much sun, but the players had a blast anyway, playing beach volleyball, first among themselves and then against a team of lifeguards (both of who later claimed victory)...

Indian spin won't wash: Ponting
2008-01-09 06:11:00
Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting on Wednesday said that the Indian team could say what they liked about his bowling line-up but they would still have difficulty against it.India arrived in Australia on Tuesday for the four-Test series with captain Anil Kumble confidently targeting his opponent's bowling as their weakness following the retirement of leg-spinner Shane Warne.But Ponting said left-arm spinner Brad Hogg, who was on Tuesday named in the squad to replace an injured Stuart MacGill, deserved his place in the side despite only having played four Tests."A lot of international players have struggled reading Hoggy in one-day cricket especially," said Ponting."He's brought a lot of guys undone with his variations in that form of the game and I can't see why it would be any different in Test cricket."If they (the Indians) want to go after him then good because that's probably the best way for us to take wickets as well.""Hoggy is bowling very well, he's very confiden...
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Ponting did not heed Kumble's peace plea
2008-01-09 06:09:00
If Australia skipper Ricky Ponting had shown a little more sensitivity, an iota of the maturity that his opposite number from India has shown and perhaps, an understanding of the implications of what he was doing, there may have been no crisis in world cricket. The Indian team here reportedly made every effort to prevent the ongoing emergency from becoming precisely what it has ? the kind of incident that is testing the fabric of the game. Unfortunately, the Australians were not willing to play ball. According to sources, India skipper Anil Kumble called Ponting up on the night of the Harbhajan-Symonds incident and asked him not to press for the charge of racism. Ponting (based on what Andrew Symonds alleged) had made the complaint to umpires Benson and Bucknor, who in turn had made the code of conduct violation charge at close of play on Day Three. Kumble reportedly told Ponting that if Harbhajan had caused any offence at all, he was willing to apologise on his behalf as the capta...
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Defiant Ponting refuses to admit wrongdoing
2008-01-08 12:46:00
A defiant Australian skipper Ricky Ponting maintained that he did nothing wrong by reporting Harbhajan Singh for "racially abusing" Andrew Symonds and felt his Indian counterpart Anil Kumble has been unfair in his criticism of the host team's lack of sportsmanship."It is a shame that this issue has come to dominate the Test because from my point of view I believe that overall both the Melbourne and Sydney Tests were played in terrific spirit.""This is not something we take lightly so it is surprising and disappointing to hear Anil Kumble suggest that we did not play within that spirit in Sydney," Ponting wrote in his column for The Australian."I like Anil as a bloke and admire him as a cricketer and now captain. I have always felt he played his cricket in the right way, hard but fair. And I believe that is what we do, too."Ponting asserted that his world champion team was well aware of its responsibility in upholding the spirit of the game and said, "since I took over from Steve (W...

I am no monkey man: Symonds
2008-01-08 06:37:00
MUMBAI: Was Harbhajan Singh aware why Andrew Symonds gets upset over the monkey word? Well that's what sources claim when the whole issue blew up last week. According to sources in cricketing circles, Symonds explained to Harbhajan why his "sensibilities were hurt" when the word is used. The Indian off-spinner is believed to have assured Symonds that he would not use the word again. This assurance was given outside the dressing rooms at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at the end of the seventh and final ODI in another ill-tempered series in India in October 2007. While the reasons for Symonds' objection is not clear, it is believed that the Aussie all-rounder was concerned that his parentage was being questioned. This promise was also quoted by Australian opener and witness Matthew Hayden at the hearing held on Sunday night in Sydney. Also, during the ODI series in India, Symonds had a few run-ins with fast bowler Sree Santh. The duo had some heated exchanges which often turned ugl...
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Timeline: How the drama unfolded
2008-01-08 06:10:00
As the Indian team camps in Sydney amid the infamous row over umpiring that cost it the second Test and the subsequent episode involving Harbhajan Singh, Kadambari Murali tracks the events.Sunday, 6:45 pmRicky Ponting?s press conference. Ponting says he has full confidence in the umpires, gets angry when asked about the bumped catch he claimed, almost says that the questioner leave the room if he questions his integrity. Says the match was played in the spirit of the game. Says gentleman's agreement between him and Kumble to take a fielder's opinion at face value in the case of checking on whether a catch is clean. Sunday, 7:30pmAnil Kumble?s press conference. Kumble is distressed, very angry, but very calm. Repeatedly says he cannot comment on umpiring decisions but says enough to indicate the team's anger and displeasure over them. Says whatever happened was there for the world to see. Confirms the agreement, but says it was based on the assumption that players would be honest ...
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We will fight the false slur against our player: BCCI
2008-01-07 10:49:00
NEW DELHI : Describing the ban on Harbhajan Singh as unfair and unacceptable, the BCCI on Monday made it clear that it will appeal against the order and fight the ?false slur? cast on its ace spinner.After a meeting of its top office bearers to take stock of the situation, the BCCI said it will also request ICC in its appeal to suspend the order of three Test ban against Harbhajan.BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said that president Sharad Pawar had convened the meeting which discussed all the developments which led to India?s defeat in the second Test against Australia and also the issue of Harbhajan Singh.The Cricket Board came out with a statement, saying that it was committed to protect the country?s fair name.Following is the statement by BCCI president Sharad Pawar.?BCCI is filing an appeal challenging match referee Mike Proctor?s order on spinner Harbhajan Singh.?Unfair allegation of racism against our Indian player is wholly unacceptable. The game of cricket is paramount but...
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Australian media comes out in support of Indian team
2008-01-07 08:56:00
The beleaguered Indian cricket team got support from unexpected quarters with the Australian media terming the behaviour of their own players as "unacceptable" and calling the standard of umpiring as poor which left a bitter taste in the mouth.In an unexpected show of solidarity, the Australian media rallied behind the Indian team, saying poor umpiring proved to be their nemesis and the least they deserved was a draw.The Australian national newspaper criticised the behaviour of the home team and said Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson should be called to account for their poor umpiring."It is shameful this splendid test match, won in such a remarkable fashion by the indomitable Australians, has left such a bitter taste," wrote Mike Coward, veteran cricket writer."The standard of play often was outstanding and occasionally exceptional but the standard of player behaviour was questionable and, at times, unacceptable. And the standard of umpiring was poor."Test cricket is not robust enough ...
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Umpires too good for India
2008-01-07 07:16:00
The Sydney Test will definitely be remembered more for consistently shoddy umpiring which cost India dear than for anything else. After Ricky Ponting got a reprieve on the first day of the Test when on just 17, the next umpiring horror came when the Aussies were again in desperate trouble at 191/6. Symonds got a healthy nick to one from Ishant Sharma and Dhoni comfortably pouched it. The jubilation in the Indian camp quickly turned to stunned disbelief as Bucknor sagely shook his head to signal not out. Symonds was then on 30. Worse was to follow. With Australia on 238/6, Kumble drew Symonds forward and beat him with the turn, allowing Dhoni to whip the bails off. Bucknor referred the appeal for a stumping to third umpire Oxenford, who ruled him not out when all the experts on TV, including Aussie great Ian Chappell were convinced he was a goner. Symonds, then on 48, ultimately finished on 162 not out. The seventh wicket, which should have fallen at 191 carried the score to 307. Had...
More About: Good , Umpires

Team still in Sydney hotel, waits for BCCI response
2008-01-07 06:50:00
Even at this moment, the Indian cricket team bus is parked out the team hotel here and the Indian players are waiting to hear from the BCCI as to whether their Australia tour will continue or not. The players are furious about the events of the past few days, especially the racism charges on Harbhajan Singh and the three-match ban handed to the off-spinner on Sunday night. The emergency team meeting this morning did not include the coach, the support staff or managers. The players wanted to talk about the dramatic events of Sunday night and reach a consensus on what their plan of action would be. Most of the players were asleep by the time Anil Kumble, Harbhajan and Sachin Tendulkar returned to the team hotel after the hearing at 2:30 am local time. Many of them woke up to the news that Harbhajan was banned for three matches on racism charges. There was shock and disbelief write large on their faces as they gathered in the hotel lobby. The team was supposed to leave by road by 10:3...
More About: Hotel , Sydney , Team , Response

Harbhajan Singh banned for three Tests
2008-01-07 06:49:00
SYDNEY: Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was on Sunday banned for three Test matches after the ICC Match Referee Mike Procter upheld the Australian charge that he had racially abused their all-rounder Andrew Symonds, a decision against which the Indian team will appeal within 24 hours. Procter gave a marathon six-and-a-half hour hearing to Harbhajan, who denied the charge and was supported by skipper Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, manager Chetan Chauhan and media manager MV Sridhar during the deliberations. Procter also heard Symonds, who was backed by Australian captain Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke along with team manager Steve Bernard, who attended the hearing to testify against the Indian spinner. After the hearing, there was no official word about the verdict but sources said that the three-Test ban was being slapped on Harbhajan, who is fully backed by the BCCI and the team. The appeal will be made to the Commissioner of Appeals and pending th...
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'As good a feeling as I've ever had on a cricket field' - Ponting
2008-01-07 06:40:00
Steve Waugh used to complain when he was captain that Australia's major achievements were always overshadowed by some sort of controversy. Ricky Ponting is unlikely to protest about the issues of race, umpiring and spirit of cricket taking the attention away from his team's outstanding run of 16 consecutive victories, which equalled Waugh's world mark. Ponting's main aim was winning the game rather than grabbing the record and the success was achieved with a gamble on Michael Clarke, who captured three dramatic wickets in the scheduled second-last over of the day. The 122-run win, which retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was sealed with seven balls remaining and Ponting celebrated as joyously as during his Ashes and World Cup victories. "My overall emotion and feeling at the end of the game was as good a feeling as I've ever had on a cricket field," Ponting said. "Winning a Test like that, coming down to the last eight or ten minutes on the fifth day, any Test you win then is...
More About: Cricket , Good , Feeling , Field

Kumble accuses Aussies of bad sportsmanship
2008-01-07 06:38:00
India captain Anil Kumble launched an astonishing attack on Australia's cricketers after his team were beaten in the second Test on Sunday, accusing them of breaching the spirit of the game.Kumble was unable to contain his fury after his team were beaten by 122 runs in a thrilling and controversial end to one of the most absorbing matches ever seen at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Asked by Indian journalists about Australia's tactics, Kumble echoed something similar to the immortal line used by the Australian captain Bill Woodfull during the 1932-33 Bodyline series against England."Only one team was playing with the spirit of the game," Kumble said.He also said he was prevented from elaborating on his specific complaints about the Australian players but indicated he was upset at the refusal of their batsmen to walk when they were clearly out.The Indians were on the wrong end of a number of bad umpiring decisions throughout the course of the match but the most crucial occurred on the f...
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Aussies win, by hook or by crook
2008-01-07 06:34:00
Towards the end of this game, as wicket after Indian wicket fell at one end and Anil Kumble, magnificent in his defence, grimly held on to the other, many of us gathered at the Sydney Cricket Ground were praying for India to survive; practically willing Ishant Sharma to survive four balls before Kumble would face what would almost certainly be the last over of this match. Ishant, young and tense, lasted three, giving Michael Clarke his third wicket in four balls and it was all over. India had lost this second Test by 122 runs, about five minutes before play would have ended on this final day. Ricky Ponting?s Australia, whose players jumped, whooped and exulted all over the place with uncustomary exuberance, equalled the world record of 16 wins on the trot set by a Steve Waugh-led Aussie team seven years ago. Not quite cricketMost ? other than the men screaming victoriously out there in the middle ? did not think this 16th win did them proud. For what happened over this Test and this...
More About: Aussies , Hook

Brilliant Tendulkar puts India in front
2008-01-04 09:37:00
Sachin Tendulkar 's belligerent 154 not out guided India to a 69-run first innings lead over Australia on Friday and extended his world record for most Test centuries.Tendulkar was on 69 when India slipped to 345 for seven on the third afternoon of the second Test and he only had the tailenders to help him reach his 38th Test hundred and overhaul Australia's first innings of 463.And help him they did. Harbhajan Singh score 63 in a 129-run eighth-wicket partnership and India's last three wickets added 187.When No. 11 Ishant Sharma (23) top-edged an attempted pull shot to give Brett Lee a return catch and a fifth wicket for the innings, India was out for 532.Lee finished with 5-119 to lead the Australian bowlers, while Mitchell Johnson and Brad Hogg had two wickets apiece.Openers Matt Hayden (5) and Phil Jaques (8) survived the five overs before stumps, moving Australia's second innings total to 13.Tendulkar resumed on the third morning on 9 and started to find his world-renowned t...
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Bucknor should retire: ex-players
2008-01-04 09:37:00
Steve Bucknor's horrendous decisions against India in the second cricket Test in Sydney on Thursday evoked calls for the 61-year-old West Indian umpire's immediate retirement from officiating in international matches.Bucknor, the oldest ICC umpire in the world, has been India's bugbear in recent years but his three decisions which cost India hugely stood out.The Australians were reeling at 134 for 6 before Bucknor gave a new lease of life to their innings by adjudging Andrew Symonds not out at 30 before the all-rounder went on to score an unbeaten knock of 162.Bucknor also surprised on Thursday by deciding against referring a close stumping appeal against Symonds to the third umpire. Television replays suggested Symonds was outside the crease when the bails were dislodged.Asserting that Bucknor is no longer competent enough to stand in international matches, former players felt the Jamaican was past his prime and his poor track record particularly against India has given rise to ...
More About: Players , Retire , Tire

India amass 532, lead by 69 runs
2008-01-04 09:26:00
Harbhajan?s invaluable innings came to an end when he pushed at one from Mitchell Johnson. The ball took the outside edge which flew to gully where Michael Hussey made no mistake. Harbhajan made 63 and his innings was critical in India ?s effort to go past the Aussie total. India were at 474/8 when he was dismissed.There was almost a sense of deja vu at the Sydney Cricket Ground for India. Two test matches, two centuries and the same ground. Sachin Tendulkar joined VVS Laxman in the centurions? list as he notched up his 38th career ton, 8th against Australia and 5th in Australia. India, who slumped at one stage after lunch, losing two quick wickets, recovered from that position to end at 424/7 at tea.Tendulkar brought up his hundred when he played a drive off the backfoot through cover and ran hard for a couple. It was a special moment for a man who suffered from ninetyitis in 2007 and his celebrations showed it all. This was his third hundred at the SCG and a very special effort to ...
More About: Runs , Lead

To walk or not to walk is the question
2008-01-04 09:12:00
ANDREW Symonds, the Australian cricketing all-rounder who made 162 runs not out against India in Sydney this week, is correct when he says he is not a cheat.Symonds was defending himself against criticism that he stayed at the crease after he had clearly snicked the ball to the wicketkeeper when he had made only 30 runs and the Australian innings was at the point of collapse.We know he snicked it, not just because it was so clear that you didn?t need the increasingly sophisticated technology now available to pick up the faintest of touches. It was a firm contact that was manifest to everybody except the neutral umpire, Steve Bucknor.On a day when Bucknor, his British colleague Mark Benson and third umpire Bruce Oxenford managed to make one wrong decision after another, whose net effect was disastrous for India, this was the worst.Symonds? reaction that he?s not a cheat was, however, correct, because the rules of cricket formally leave these decisions to the umpire. What was interest...
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