KEY POINTS:
The Aussies are probably wishing they had never raised the issue of sledging against Harbhajan Singh as all they have achieved is to place the spotlight firmly on their own lack of sportsmanship.
Calling someone a monkey is pretty lame in my book - I was called worse,
almost every time I set foot on the field. What's more, it's drawing a long bow to suggest it is racist. I can see the implication but how is it different to calling him a pig or a dog or a cave man? Would that be considered racist?
There are three interesting issues here: One is that you are always copping flak on the cricket field - comments about your mother, your sister, your wife - all of which are far worse than being called a monkey. If Harbhajan had called him a "nigger" or "black so-and-so" then that's a different thing. The monkey call is a long way from home in terms of being racist.
The second is that it was white South African Mike Proctor who was put in the unenviable position of having to determine the action to be taken. Proctor was in an impossible situation - lean towards Harbhajan and the inevitable spectre of South Africa's apartheid policy would be thrust upon him. As a consequence Harbhajan has got a bit of a rough deal.
The third is that these allegations of racism are generally raised by black players against whites. I never complained about being called a white pig.
The whole thing is a joke. The "monkey" comment was a pretty innocuous beginning but then some really big egos got involved, Harbhajan and Ricky Ponting just to start.
For Ponting to hold himself up as a pillar of integrity in the game is a joke - likewise his team. He has done nothing to show he is beyond reproach, although he is no cheat either, he just plays hard and if he can squeeze an advantage he will.
Punter and the Aussies need to be honest about themselves and drop the charade about being custodians of the game - they aren't and never will be.
They are regarded as the world champions of sledging and they continually push the limit in terms of sportsmanship and brinksmanship.
They are great to play against because of that intensity. But in terms of being guardians of the game they come nowhere. Even their own sporting greats are saying that now, and their public doesn't think they set a good example in terms of sportsmanship.
Much of the fuss is because of the frustration that arose through bad umpiring decisions. Ponting and Harbhajan can both feel aggrieved because they are in this situation due to the officials letting them down.
Players do not go ballistic over marginal calls, they learn to cope with them. But when you have bad decisions, like the Andrew Symonds caught-behind, it is unacceptable. Umpires make mistakes as we all do but to have repeat bad decisions go against you will turn a test match, especially with the quality of players that Australia have.
There are two solutions. We have to embrace technology. The proposed appeals idea is a good place to start. If we begin going down that track now, it might take two or three years but the situation will improve. Even with technology there will still be mistakes made because we are all human, but it will be better than it is today.
If the technology is available it will make a big difference in close games.
It is difficult to significantly improve the standard of umpiring, although the technology may improve that also by giving the umpires in the middle more confidence. Those on the panel are generally pretty good. Experience counts, so it is too easy to look at age and dismiss people.
At 61, the reality is that Steve Bucknor is not getting any better. Perhaps the ICC could look at scaling down the age limit a bit.
This ruckus has increased interest in the rest of the Australia-India series. We're all waiting to see Harbhajan bowl at Ponting.
I find it hard to watch sport when New Zealand are not playing, but this is enthralling. As a product, you have nine or 10 of the best players of all time, tension galore, huge egos on the line, big crowds and magnificent stadiums. By comparison, the Black Caps versus Bangladesh is almost unwatchable.
