For better or worse cricket remains a game of judgement calls, and until that changes the line between cheating or mistake, error in judgement will remain

Meanwhile, Stephen: agreed the Australian cricketers are NOT gentlemen. BUT – rest assured some of the finest gentlemen I have met in 56 years in this planet are from the “working class” – Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Englishmen. Australians, …..incidentally, you are dangerously close to being offensive ( if not “racist” in implying that “working class” is somehow incompatible with being a “gentleman”.

Cad

Suspending the tour? We all know what this means. Unless Harbajahn’s suspension is overturned and all charges dropped India plan to take their bat,ball and players home.

So now we can expect India to argue the umpire’s decision on AND off the field – and not for the first time either.

Well off you go now. Go back home where you can all feel sorry for yourselves and your adoring fans can start re-building the images of a great team (in mind only not deeds) & wallow in self pity but never really doing anything to address the issue at hand – the ability to win cricket matches. Accept that umpires are human beings and are fallible and mistakes will be made and that such decisions in this game eventually even out. Until neutral umpires were in place it was almost unheard of for a touring country to win anything in India – work that out.

Let’s get rid of Bucknor. According to comments I have read on this site he has ‘hate’ in his face for the Indians. Does he have ‘it in’ for India? Please – if you believe that rubbish then you guy’s really do have problems that need urgent addressing. And what happens when the next umpire makes a mistake that goes against India? Let’s get rid of him too and keep doing this until India receives in their favour 100% of contentious decisions and hopefully, a victory.

God forbid if a player makes a mistake, misses the ball and his stumps are knocked down or even walks to the crease with the wrong batting gloves. Heaven forbid!

Should India decide to take flight instead of fight then I would suggest that Australia cancels all future tours and they should also make sure that any player contracted to C.A. are not permitted to take part in the planned mickey mouse 20/20 premier league competition.

Speaking of fight – I pray for the day when Indian cricket can display as much fight ON the field as they do OFF the field.

That is the problem. The men who take the field for India cannot do it by themselves. The captain cannot make a decision on the field unless a committee of former captains (and aren’t their plenty to choose from!) spend forever deciding what course of action to take.

Symonds and Singh have an exchange on the field. Ponting – as the captains have been told to do – brings this to the attention of the umpires on the field of play.

Hogg and Kumble have an exchange on the field and we know nothing about it until after the match. Nothing happened until after the Indian management brings it up. Come on Kumble, you were ON the field – do you walk up to the umpire and state your case or do you wait until you reach the dressing sheds and then receive intruction from back home on what to do?

Did Singh say what he said to Symonds? Proctor believes that he did. This has outraged Indian sensibilities for taking the word of the Australians over the word of the Indians. Now the BCCI wants absolute, 100% proof or they will walk. I don’t think it can be proved 100%.

However, when Symonds was subjected to monkey taunts by the Indian crowd on the last tour this was rejected out-of-hand by the authorities. It did not happen they said. The person responsible for anti racial vilification does not even believe that he has a real job to do. It does not happen – let us not even speak about this again – he said. Then faced with overwhelming evidence that the Australians claims of racial abuse were correct well…. if they did not believe this then Mike Proctor has absolutely no chance of making his charges stick – even if he had the proof the Indians would then claim it was a term of endearment, it was a joke that has been taken the wrong way, Symonds is too sensitive, Harbajahn likes Andrew blah, blah, blah.

I truly hope that India continues their tour of Australia. Their team is a talented one and they are capable of giving Australia a good contest.

All forms of sledging should be banned immediately. No player from opposing teams should speak with the opposition – captains excluded. Umpires should make ALL decisions on whether a player is out or not – that is their job and it is not for the captains to decide on this. Caught, bowled, LBW – whatever, players should leave when the umpipre raises his finger.

Hi JB,
Point 2 in your last response to me – Iam suggesting that their integrity is questionable; ie why did they not even take Slater aside and ask him to cool it.

Meanwhile please read this in relation to YOUR statement that “claiming a ctach that you didn’t take is cheating:

(http://www.lords.org/laws-and-spirit/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-32-caught,58,AR.html). It has the following two points that might interest you. 1)The act of making the catch shall start from the time when a fielder first handles the ball and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and over his own movement. 2) The striker is out Caught if a ball delivered by the bowler, …. is subsequently held by a fielder as a fair catch before it touches the ground.

Having read that, please see this picture:

(sorry no link)

Notice that:
1. The ball is touching the ground
2. Ponting does not yet have “complete control over his own movement”
3. His eyes are on the ball

Only one of two conclusions is possible:

1. Ponting was cheating, as per YOUR definition of cheating, when he claimed that catch. (Does not matter that it did not hit the bat!)
OR
2. The captain of Australia does not know the rule relating to what constitutes a fair catch.

Which one do you think is more likely?

Regards
Cad

As Prem Panicker rightly puts, Ponting should be suspended since Latif was suspended for claiming a grounded catch by the same Mike Procter.

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/07prem.htm

In the old days racism was ripe in all sports, particularly professional ones. This is rapidly changing as it must. Now I believe nobody should have to be subjected to racial taunts anywhere. The treatment of Andrew Symonds is inexcusable and unacceptable. Those in the crowd and on the field who called him a monkey should be man enough to face him off the field and do it. I get the feeling he would tear your limbs from your body. Do you think they will go to the West Indies or South Africa and do it to the coloured players there? Clearly not, they would not leave the ground alive.

My suggestion to the precious Indian cricketers who believe that you are hard done by is to concentrate on your game and how you are performing. The only way to beat the best in the world is to play better, harder and stronger than them. The reason the Aussies are at the top of their game for so long is because they are exactly that……..better, tougher and stronger than any of their competition. No-one will ever respect the Indians if they keep whinging about umpires and being treated unfairly. You are down 2-0, time to stop carrying on like little school girls and toughen up and start playing cricket like men.