MIL/TNN/Agencies, Jan 8, 2008. Author: IR Summary
New Delhi, India: January 8, 2008 – IR Summary - Steve Bucknor has been removed from officiating in the remaining India-Australia Test series and Harbhajan Singh has been cleared to play till the decision of the appeal is taken and it is an old story now. It is just a small part win and not the real victory. At least of the cricket fans in India and the world are not at all satirized with this sort of lollypop to a child as per International Reporter.
International Reporter, who respect the poll of the cricket lovers, does not agree with Times of India that Well, we've won. Not the Test series, but at least a moral victory. India has been miserably disgraced. The Indians should not feel happy over one Umpire's ousting and Harbhajan's suspension.
India has been hit at the back by the host team. Is the way to treat one's guests? The conspiracy between the Australian team and the umpires has been proved beyond doubt.
The team should have been called back. The ban should have been regretted after reversing it. Both umpires should have been shunted out.The previous match should have been declared null and void, rather cancelled with regret. The Australian team captain should have apologized. This is the way how a respectable countrymen think, so the happiness shown by Times of India through TNN is just disappointing.
Read the story of the TNN
"India has won just a small part. Not the Test series, but at least a moral victory. What has transpired in the past few days has definitely not been cricket. In the 2nd Test we played our hearts out, but the umpires gifted the match away to Australia.
If that wasn't enough, Harbhajan was slapped a three match ban for alleged racial abuse against Andrew Symonds. The ban came after an apparent one-sided hearing by match referee Mike Procter. Indian skipper Anil Kumble reacted by saying that "only one team played in the right spirits."
In the days that followed, the cricketing world and the public rose up in anger at the treatment meted out to Team India. But Justice has been done. Steve Bucknor has been removed from officiating in the remaining India-Australia Test series and Harbhajan Singh has been cleared to play pending his appeal against the ban.
When we carried out a forum asking whether Team India should abandon the Australia series we received thousands of responses in favour of pulling out of the series if justice was not done.
Cricket has become a rich game and India has had a part to play in that. Ajay wrote to us from Pune feels that if we have the muscle we should flex it. He says "If Indian team and BCCI not only using cricket for money making, and there is any self respect as an Indian Team India should return back immediately.
ICC is becoming rich only because of Indian cricket, still we get humiliated by them again & again. We also need to ban Australian players from taking part in BCCI IPL starting from April." Deepak from Dubai concurs "India should show their might at the cricketing world and not fall prey to the gimmicks of anyone. BCCI should call off the tour immediately. We might have to pay some financial penalty but it shall be a huge loss of credibility for ICC."
