Farcical-ism or Racism in Cricket?
on January 7th, 2008 at 8:09 am
The word “racism” seems to be creeping into this so-called noble game of cricket, which has a boundary for scoring runs and limits for number of balls to be bowled in one over, or the number of overs per match or number of days are limited. But, for entertainment there are no boundaries and no limits to which kind of people, race, community or country should play this game or enjoy it. Therefore, cricket lovers from all over the globe need to discuss this important issue which is hurting this game and setting the boundaries for the crowd behaviour and the supporters reactions, and are limiting their joy and the pleasure or the entertainment they get by watching this game. The ICC are making stupid rules and the cricket grounds are becoming more like the Fort Knox.Therefore, it is important that people should express their views here on this blog to raise a voice against this silly rules. Especially in view of the recent ban of three matches imposed on the Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh by the ICC because of the complaint lodged by the Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
This in my view is a very unfair treatment and a very bad decision. It gives one a feeling that it is because of the fact that Harbhajan Singh has got Ricky Ponting’s wicket 8 times in the last 9 innings. It is for the bloggers to discuss this issue at length to justify whether Harbhajan actually called Andrew Symonds a “monkey”? Or, it is just their word against him to keep him away? And, whether calling someone a monkey is racism? But, first we need to discuss the basics of racism, racial abuse and the difference between the various types of abuse which in my opinion is far worse than calling someone a monkey.
Racism as explained in the English dictionary is, “using a derogatory comment by way of showing dissent and discrimination and profiling someone is the actual discrimination resulting directly or indirectly from racism.” And, racism has many faces, broadly speaking there are two attitudes towards the concept of racism: one says that: “racism” is usefully applied only where it is derived from a perception of race and the ensuing fixation on “typical” racial traits. The second one is that racism consists in “intentional practices” and unintended processes or consequences of attitudes towards the “ethnic other.” Its a known fact that, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans are labeled and profiled as ethnic other. Hence, according to this line of thought, it is not necessary to possess a concept of “race” to entertain prejudices towards other peoples. How often the people from these countries have been subjected to derogatory racial comment and abuse is a question that has been neglected and how trivial it is to get attention from the whole world by claiming that someone abused me by calling me a monkey.
The face of international cricket is changing and it is changing more in favour of those who are in fact racists and yet they think only others are racists and they are not. The Australian authorities have placed strong anti-racism measures on the cricket ground, not only the guards and security men but, the “dob in a yob,” sms text messaging system, CCTV and all those gizmos and gadgets are in place to alert the security and direct them towards the so-called unruly crowd behaviour. The funny thing is, if someone start monkey chants they will not only be removed from the ground but, punished according to the anti-racism law. I guess the funny thing is not this bit, the funny thing is: ALL the Australian supporters are allowed to yell loudly and in one voice “No-Ball” at Murali on every single ball he bowls and they actually did and got away with it.
This is ludicrous, I mean this so comical and farcical to have such stupid laws that doesn’t make any sense. They all can yell at Murali and still think that he cannot be distracted hence, no one will ask them not to stop it. Whereas, Symonds can get distracted if someone from the crowd start monkey chants, or a player whispers in his ear, hey you monkey! One can see the farcical part of the law, where most of the players openly use the “F” word and can get away with that, the ICC referee cannot do anything to the player. On the street if someone tells you “F-off” the police cannot arrest him even if that person tells the same to the policeman, the person cannot be arrested. Because, it is not racism and it is not even offensive or abusive.
Now a days, if you watch a movie, a TV show, a stage comedy show, in one sentence the F word is used at least a dozen time. Earlier, the F word was not only considered as a profane word but, it was highly impolite, rude and abusive. Now, in the English language, it has come to be a verb for the sexual act and may be used literally in this sense e.g., ” I, f**ked her”, but also in the context of an exclamation, ” F**k, she’s clever! “, as part of a derogatory remark, ” F**k off ! ” or to simply add weight to a sentence – ” This is so f**king interesting!” Or, as a way of regret, ” Man, I have been f**ked.”
The degree to which profanity and a racism comment is offensive is a highly subjective matter as it relies upon how the use of the word affects an individual or group of individuals. In Australia, the majority feels that monkey chants by a couple of people can distract a player hence they are offensive and racial. But, a crowd of 20,000 yelling in one voice “No-Ball” at every single ball cannot distract the bowler, hence it is not offensive!
In my opinion the ICC needs to be far more tolerant and understanding, it can only be possible if they are more inclusive. By inclusive I mean they must have proper representation in the management or in the Board of Directors. They must understand the cultural traits and the cultural background and it can only be possible if they have representatives from each member country and by representative I do not mean a puppet or cog in the wheel sort of representative. The BCCI must not only appeal, but they should lodge a big protest against this decision. But, it seems that the Indians have taken the bad umpiring more seriously and ignoring this big issue of Harbhajan Singh’s ban and I have a feeling that it will be side-tracked and forgotten and then there will be another player from the Indian sub-continent who would be targeted and banned. Its better to give a nip in the bud now, rather than waiting for the problem to grow big and becomes a terminal cancer.
well neutral umpire mr bucknor sacked because indian,they level charges at spinner hogg. i am agree with javed a khan that umpiring is not be blamed. i think ICC should sack indian commentry team of gavaskar, shastri because they commentry biased and insulting australia. better team win the match. always happen. i am not bias i am speak truth about indian.
ramiz ashraf
pls. don’t pass a sweeping statement by saying, ” everyone says…” I have been saying all along that India is trying to kill two birds with one stone. They would have never been able to get rid of Steve Bucknor had this Harbhajan’s ban had not taken place.
Taking advantage of Harbhajan’s case they used pressure tactics to get rid of Steve Bucknor which is very unfair. I have said this before that the umpiring is not an issue, even in the past there were some cases where the decisions were not 100% correct and that is because the umpire has to decide at the spur of the moment and being a human they all make mistakes.
Some people are comparing Steve Bucknor’s case with Darrell Hair’s ball tampering case. That is absolutely wrong. You have to compare apples with apples. There is a big difference between umpire Darrell Hair’s removal and umpire Steve Bucknor’s removal.
Hair accused Pakistani team for ball tampering which means he was labeling them as “cheats” and there was no sufficient proof to back up the argument eventually Hair lost his case and his job. He is responsible for digging his own grave.
Bucknor on the other hand is charged for incompetence which is NOT fair and he is removed because of the pressure tactics applied by the BCCI.
Regarding Aleem Dar I quite agree with you that the Indians do not want him because he gave Parmeshwar Tendulkar out when he was in his 90′s. But, what about the 7 other times when he got out in 90′s or on 99 a couple of times? Was it Aleem Dar? No, he was out on a straightforward ball from Umar Gul twice.
Out of all the articles written recently on cricinfo only Suresh Menon has made some sense, he is so darn right about the media exploiting the masses. Example, interview of Harbhajan’s mother on a TV channel to tell them how she feels? As if she was there? Secondly, he talked about Navajot Sidhu’s antics, Sidhu apparently suggested on his TV show that the Indian bowlers must kick on Bucknor’s ass before bowling! What a man this Navajot Sidhu is. He actually punched someone in a road rage and killed that man on the street and after that he became so famous that he was elected as the member of India’s parliament (national assembly) and now he is a famous TV personality for his verbosity and for the chronic and persistent verbal diarrhoea.
Another point which Suresh Menon highlighted is the one which I wrote earlier about Ishaant Sharma’s antics of coming to bat with a pair of wrong batting gloves only to waste time, which he says would embarrass even a school boy.
To sum up, the Australians play good cricket but they are bad losers and India don’t play that good but they are the worst losers. Because, unlike India, the Australians don’t go burning houses, effigies and public properties when their team looses.
so now everyone says that australia were wrong and ICC has been unfair to harbhajan? everyone is trying to please india, even geoff lawson has said that aussies need counselling.
in my opinion the following is very wrong:
1)india are blaming the umpiring for their defeat. this attitude will cost them in the future
2)i cant believe authorities have blamed Hogg now for an abusive remark to indian players
3)the hypocrisy and mentality of indians can be seen by how their players started the blame game, accusing hogg in return. so now poor hogg has been charged
4)this shows india dont believe in fair play and they cant tolerate a few umpiring errors. they protested against aleem dar, in fact i heard aleem dar was meant to officiate in this high profile series but his appointment was blocked by BCCI because indian team thinks dar is biased. poor dar, he gave the indian god tendulkar out when tendulkar was in 90′s and this will affect him for the rest of his life. this series has been a slap on the faces of india because it has now been proven that the umpire doesnt have to be pakistani to give wrong decisions against india.
Reportedly when George Bernard Shaw first went to the USA, at a public gathering he said, “half of the Americans are fools” and there was a big public outrage and they started shouting against him, “pull him down, throw him out, send him back” etc.
Bernard Shaw was famous for his smart and witty comments, he immediately responded by saying, “I am sorry I take back my words, half of the Americans are not fools.” And they started clapping and cheering at him once again.
This is exactly what the Australians and the ICC did to the BCCI and the Indian team.
First, the issue was side tracked and the umpire Steve Bucknor was axed, this was something to pacify the Indians.
Second, they dangled a carrot in front of them and said, OK don’t cancel or abandon the tour, Harbhajan Singh can play the third test under the rules till such time his appeal is heard and a new decision is taken. So, the Indians are a little more comfortable that Bhajji can play! So, they accepted the carrot and are busy chewing the cud.
Third, they said, OK you can also lay charges against Brad Hogg and we will ban him too. That way both teams are penalized equally. Are you happy now? The BCCI officials rolled over on the ground like a proverbial HMV dog and said, “yes master.”
The point that some of the Indians are missing here is, the difference between the charges laid against Harbhajan and Hogg are not the same. Bhajji’s charges are that of a “racist” whereas, the charges laid against Brad Hogg are for “sledging.”
There is a very thin line which they cannot see and believe that others are blind too, actually there is a very big difference in those charges or should I say the punishment? Sledging is kinda normal in cricket whereas, racial abuse or racial slur is not and its kinda stigma that Harbhajan has to carry it with him for the rest of his cricketing life and he has been labeled as racist. Simultaneously India too has been labeled as a country whose players are racist. This is the difference and the BCCI is trying to pull wool over the eyes of the masses. But, in reality they know the technicalities, in short they know everything.
The BCCI has accepted this deal because they believe in their age old faith which is coming from that baniya mentality, “Chamree jaye par damree na jaye,” means, they are ready to barter their own flesh and skin for the sake of a penny!
Isn’t it a shame that they are willing to compromise the country’s honour, pride and integrity for the sake of money? Also, they show no respect for their own players. Some of the Indian friends I have hear are saying; by now the Indian players should have taken the flight back to India, instead of having fun at the beach.
Javed I also voted in that poll conducted by Peter Roebuck,
Actually if you look at ICC’s earlier statement they clearly stated that Steve Bucknor is going to stay and will not be removed under any circumstances, therefore I believe that he was not made the scapegoat he is actually being removed on BCCI’s pressure.
But I do agree with you BCCI has settled for a lot less may be they needed a Captain like Inzamam. Money is not every thing Indians are being branded as racists and their board is only concerned about financial damages.
Amar when was the last time you saw in cricket that an umpire changed his mind after a desi player told him to do so.
How many times you have seen Andre Nel being banned for sledging or racist comments and the same goes for Aussie Players.
At most they just get a slap on the wrist. Steve buckonor had to be both blind and deaf to adjudge Symonds not out the whole satdium heard the nick, in this match it was not just bad umpiring it was biased umpiring and there is a lot of difference between the two.
Correction
In my above comments I mention the amount of penalty as 1.73 million pound sterling. The correct amount is £1.17 million. However, this is only the penalties that the BCCI will have to pay to the ICC as a loss of revenue for the ACB if the tour is abandoned by the BCCI. But, the amount of money that would be lost from the TV rights and ad revenues would be at least ten times more than that. So, Bhajee has to swallow a bitter pill without a spoon full of sugar.
Awas, unless you are trying to be polite by spelling it incorrectly a bustard is a bird which the Arabs hunt a lot using their Falcons. In Arabic they call it “Habara” and in Pakistan they call it “Tilore, ” it is found in the lower Punjab area near Bhawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan.
Heck if anyone deserves to be booted its the umpires..and why blame ponting and aussies..if i am a professional ..i play to win..its not ponting who gave the decisions? so why blame him? do our indian and pakistani and srilankan players walk?
as for harbhaan..agreed he’s playing ok in this series..but he’s a pain along with sreesant..infact indians should be happy cause now each and every aussie sledge can be reported…as something racist to the subcontinents sentiments…even if harbi is innocent..sacrifice him!!
wasim
it is not like India has won the first round, this was expected. At least I was expecting this to happen after India’s false threat to pull out, Bucknor will become the escape goat. Because, the whole media including some of the Australians are talking about poor umpiring decisions. The irony is Mark Benson is equally responsible in making bad decisions rather more responsible because, in that Harbhajan / Symonds row he was seen talking to the players by covering his mouth by his hand to avoid lip reading by the camera. That shows his approach is more sinister than the others and it also confirms his intentions and participation in the pre-planned well orchestrated ploy against Harbhajan Singh.
I have participated in Peter Roebuck’s polling / voting on the Internet in which he has demanded to sack Ricky Ponting. Apart from that, in India, 72% of the people are asking India to abandon the tour if they don’t remove Harbhajan’s ban. But, as I have said before the BCCI’s priority is not the player’s pride and honour for the country but, PAYEESAA (money) is more important for them. If they abandon the tour they will have to pay 1.73 million pound sterling in penalties. How can a baniya do that?
India has reportedly agreed to play the third test pending Harbhajan’s decision and as per the ICC rules while the appeal is pending he can play. This way the ICC has borrowed more time to weigh the pros and cons of the situation but it is likely that they will keep the ban and after that India will brood, sulk, whine and cry crocodile tears and Bhajee will pay the price.
It is not a matter of Bhajee paying the price, it is the country that is being labeled as “racist” and that is the price the BCCI is willing to pay and accept in lieu of 1.73 million pound sterling and thats a shame and disgrace if that happens.
Just an after thought on what I posted earlier. Why was Pakistani players’ chicken imitation of Kevin Pietersen was not a racist slur? He initially didn’t think much of it but eventually disliked it but it was never blown out as racist. Is being a chicken less racist than a monkey?
It has now come out that the reason India have made a tit for tat complaint about Brad Hogg is because he called one of the players “a bustard”. Which one is more offensive? Considering the swear word (Haramzada) is a highly offensive term in India.
As khansahab says in legal speak “was there sufficient evidence beyond reasonable doubt”? The most likeky answer is no.
Javed
Why one’s word was considered better than the other’s, I can only assume was because of a white country’s supremacy.
This is one of the silliest cases of banning someone on the basis of racial slir. Calling someone monkey is becoming a totally new cultural development to be considered a racist word due to ludicrous ICC high handedness. When I call my little child “monkey” at her antics she finds it funny and does it even more. That’s how the expression is used in a cheeky way. Next time I ask someone “why are you working like a dog”, I should expect myself getting into trouble with law on the grounds of racial abuse.
Why Symonds is getting so sensitive is beyond me. He will have a problem with spectators now every time he goes on tour. It will be better for him to opt out of Pakistan tour on the pretext of getting scared stiff with terrorism.
Wasim
It’s quite surprising to see Australian media for once quite critical of Ponting’s unsportsmanlike like behavior for variety of reasons in this match. I had also read Peter Roebuck’s scathing criticism of Ponting.
I think India would be firm in its stance because as it’s a matter of honour.
I don’t think Procter has been fair. According to media reports, it wasn’t the umpires but Hayden and Clarke who heard what was being said. How can he trust 2 Aussie players, when the umpires haven’t heard anything? Both of them must be excellent lip-readers to hear what is being said while standing at the slips.
What about what Symmo said to Bhajji to provoke him? That obviously was very fair and within the rules of the game, according to Procter.
Brad Hogg has been accused of abusing Kumble but this hasn’t gained half as much attention as Monkeygate.
I think the tour should continue only after the ICC hears the other side of the story. The ICC should take into consideration Sachin’s account and should also look into the role of Mark Benson and Mike Procter (I’m not sure but I think it was Procter who penalised Rashid latif, the then captain of Pakistan on the grounds of appealing for a dropped catch).
This whole episode reminds me of the Mike Denness incident and the BCCI should be as firm as it was then.
It was a good move to remove Benson and Bucknor. I think with Asad Rauf as the umpire, we will not see too many bad decisions. Bucknor should be replaced by Dar or Bowden.
Malcom Speed has just announced that Steve Bucknor will not be officiating the third test match his replacement has not been announced yet. Mark Benson was already due to be replaced by Pakistani Umpire Asad Rauf. BCCI has won the first round of its war against ICC.
The Australian and Indian meda are demanding CA to sack Ponting.
Peter Roebuck has deemed it as the worst Australian performance in 20 years. Also the Australian media is pointing fingers at Sachin Tendulkar that he sent a text message to Powar citing that Harbhajan is innocent and we will only play the third test if he is declared innocent by the ICC.
Do You guys think that India should suspend the remaining tour?
Ramiz Ashraf
Do You even know that benefit of doubt always goes to the batsman. India was made the worst team in the fourth innings and can’t you see that all the decisions except one went the Aussie way
you have put this argument just for the sake of it.
Awas
I agree with you that these expressions are being used in the English language and those which has been mentioned in the thread – the four letter word – which has become a part of everyday life of every English speaking person. So, why on earth are they crying if someone calls them a monkey?
The way this whole thing has been played by the Australians and that includes umpire Mark Benson in it, is something more than what meets the eye. They seem to have planned and provoked Harbhajan Singh in a very orchestrated way and, knowing that he is the one who is getting Ponting out in every innings but, also that he is hot headed like Sreesanth and they can easily provoke him and get a reaction they want.
By banning Harbhajan Sing for 3 matches the ICC has made the biggest mistake and it is a disgrace in the history of cricket, this in my opinion is more like an unnecessary and a forced example of a conduct unbecoming in an arbitrary rule of authority by the ICC.
Reportedly the accused has been charged for using racial abuse, which he denies, it is their word against him that he called Symonds “a monkey”. Even Tendulkar who was his batting partner at that time confirmed that Harbhajan did not use the word monkey or did not even address any words towards Symonds.
Symonds himself has narrated that when he saw Harbhajan patting on Bret Lee’s back after the shot, he (Symonds) did not like it and came into the picture to support his team mate. It was not his business to get involved because that was not a heated debate or anything of that sort. But, he came in and talked to Harbhajan while the two batsmen were in the middle of the pitch. Hence Tendulkar is a witness to the whole episode.
Whether he called him a monkey or not what I don’t understand is why this so-called civilized world thinks that if you call someone a monkey or a chimpanzee it is a racial abuse, a racist remark or it is racism? When Charles Darwin claimed that monkeys and chimpanzees are human ancestors, people took his work very seriously, even today it is taught in schools, colleges and universities as, “The Theory of Evolution.” I want people to click on this link below and not only read it, but also watch the video on the window on their right.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12993-chimps-outperform-humans-at-memory-task.html
It was just a month ago that this test was conducted at the primate research institute at Kyoto University, Japan, in which they proved that chimpanzees have outperformed humans at a cognitive task. After seeing this video, I don’t mind if someone calls me a chimpanzee. I would definitely be more proud to be compared with a chimpanzee than with this dimwit dolt called Roy Symonds.
I know there are Indian visitors on this site, regardless of what they think I am not anti Indian or biased. But I really think that this whole issue about racism and sportsmanship is being taken out or proportion by Indian media. Everyone will want to claim a catch, it doesn’t matter whether they have seen it touch the ground. Professional cricket is a high stress game where players appeal, literally beg umpires to raise that finger. so if aussies are doing that why are they being blamed?
Firstly according to rules of cricket we know that if there is benefit of doubt the player is not out but there was 50% chance ganguly was out so it is not criminal to hold that as out. also dravid, there are many occasions where batsman is given out like that. India was the worse team in 4th innings which is why it lost. they could at least managed to draw- it is their own weakness and blaming it on anyone else and being cry babies wont help. they have to think about future too- what will happen next time they tour a strong team?
Yes…this does seem like a ploy to get rid of Harbhajan. The Aussies must have been trying to distract him since he was batting well. Plus, Ponting is Bhajji’s BUNNY. Very few bowlers have managed to get him out so regularly.
Besides this, why did Benson have to cover his mouth while talking? And why wasn’t Symonds punished for instigating the fight?
I hope the BCCI fights this out with CA. Bhajji should be given a fair trial. If this charge is found false, Ponting and ‘Roy boy’ should be given a 4-test ban. I think even Benson should be interrogated.
I feel that the Sydney match should be declared unofficial after the pathetic umpiring and racism issues and the tour should continue only if the Aussies produce sufficient evidence or if Bhajji is given a fair trial.
What has happened with Harbhajan and Symonds is bad for cricket. It is sad to hear that Indians might not play this series unless the ban is lifted.
I will not dignify the blame game by suggesting either that Australians are hypocritical or that the Indians are being too emotional and overreacting. In my view rather than pointing out fingers at individual parties we must consider first on what grounds this decision was made against Harbhajan and was there sufficient evidence beyond reasonable doubt that Harbhajan made that comment? Little is known as to how the hearing was conducted.
This brings into account whether sledging and confrontational remarks should be actionable per se in international cricket. As with anything, what should be deemed acceptable and where must the line be drawn? These are difficult questions as with questions of law and politics, there is copious debate and there will always be considerable public disagreement with the views of the ICC managers.
In the interests of cricket I would have proposed taking action against Harbhajan after the series came to an end. This is because both sides are already emotionally wounded, India more so perhaps because they are the visitors and they have expressed considerable opposition to the umpiring decisions in the Sydney Test. This action against Harbhajan has really rubbed salt on the wounds.
I am of the opinion that sledging and any form of verbal unpleasantness should be banned from cricket. This is because sensitive players will take more to heart than others. This is also because “cheekiness” and “banter” is something that is more prominent in Western societies on a daily social basis. Whereas in India and Pakistan general cheekiness results more in hot headedness and incensed mentalities. There is obviously a cultural discrepancy here. I think when Australians sledge they know that their comments are effective in that it makes players feel impulsive and insulted, but they also do it because they don’t think it should be taken as seriously. But when there are comments regarding someone’s race or religion, they are taken much more seriously than they would in less developed societies.
The blog writer has made an interesting point,” the degree to which profanity and a racism comment is offensive is highly subjective”.
Never mind the umpiring that was disgraceful anyway but the stand that India is taking for Bhaji is a principled one and they should stand firm.
Australian fieldsmen fire insults from the corners of their mouths all the time. So when an Asian overreacts, his rudeness is seized upon. That Drama Queen Symonds is being ridiculous once again. All that Australians want to do is to hunt Bhaji from the game. It’s Ponting’s ploy to get rid of him as he takes his wicket every time.
The way in which in English language the animals are related to humans, in every day conversation, is usually always in a nice way imbedded in Western culture mainly because of their love for animals. Consider these phrases and sayings:
Cheeky monkey
Faithful as a dog
Work like a dog
Lion heart
Fighting like a tiger
Running like a stallion
Cunning as a fox (Shane Warne foxed the batsman like a fox)
And perhaps many more
Very few animal expressions are used in a bad way, the obvious ones that come to mind are “chicken out” and “A bitch”. None are racist though. How many times a camera picks up players uttering four letters words which are perhaps worse than animal expressions but have become part of daily life. Now a days hearing four letter words is a common occurrence at even school playgrounds.
High handed rules brought in by the ICC are becoming a joke. Why 15 degree flexibility in bending the arm is acceptable but more is not or any less would be too restrictive. Deciding on a level of degree is all very subjective that cannot be measured by an on-field umpire in any way. Banning a player after the match is over is pointless. Any perceived damage that he meant to have caused for his illegality during the match, he already has. ICC is making mockery of its own rules. What is wrong in bowling a delivery as long as it’s over arm? Scientific measurements, only after the event decide to what degree an arm was bent.
Nothing wrong with the use of word monkey anyway in view of what I said above. Even if this precisely was the contentious issue then in the absence of clear and concrete evidence, the benefit of doubt should have gone in favour of Bhaji.
Bhaji’s case if not overruled on appeal should be taken seriously by India and it should direct its team to return home otherwise.
Its a shame these tough talking Aussies whenever they attack others with their verbal diarrhea it is a part of the game and if any body else responds it is immediately categorized as racism.
Whether it is penalizing Asian umpires or Players ICC always comes out with the harshest penalties but when it comes to the Goray umpires and players they just getaway with a slap on the wrist.
Why didnt ICC appointed Aleem Dar to officiate this series who is arguably the best umpire in the world right now.
And how can they penalize Harbhajan without any proper evidence.
The Indian team and supporters should not be talking about the poor umpiring, let others do that. The umpiring issue or bad decisions given by them are very trivial as compared to the banning of Harbhajan Singh by the ICC referee Mike Proctor. The BCCI and Harbhajan Singh both must take severe action, if the ban is not lifted immediately with a written apology then the BCCI must abandon the tour and sue the ICC for defaming and labeling its player as a racist with lack of evidence to support.
And Harbhajan Singh in his individual capacity must sue Roy Symonds and Ricky Ponting and scare the hell out of them. Enough is enough you cannot carry on accepting baseless, unfair and unjust decisions like, misconduct, misbehaviour, ball tampering, drug related issue, bowling actions that are imposed on the Asian teams and their players which have all been cleared later-on without any apologies. India should put their foot down and give a nip in the bud now instead of regretting about it later.