Not quite the start, eh?

2008 promised much for India’s cricket fans. Sachin Tendulkar gave them a 100, as did VVS Laxman; they had Australia at 134/6 but then something went wrong. Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson thought, “Hang on. India can’t beat Australia. West Indies and England have been battered by the Aussies. India must suffer the same fate.” And so it began. One long, never-ending string of bad decisions (that even the Australian media slammed) and India had lost a Test they deserved to at least draw. The ICC has since withdrawn Mr Bucknor from the third Test at Perth. After India put pressure on them. Which means that he is incompetent and the ICC should not have fielded him in the first place. Continue reading »

Racism rears its head in Cricket… again

Yet again, an Australian cricketer (albeit former) was at the centre of a “racial abuse” storm. The guilty party this time: former Aussie batsman Dean Jones. His crime: Calling Hashim Amla a “terrorist” when on air. His justification: “It was a silly and completely insensitive thing to say and, obviously, it was never supposed to be heard over the air”.

The silly and insensitive part we agree to. But what about stupid? What does he mean “It was never supposed to be heard…” never mind where. On Air or not, he has no business saying this. For one, he is a public figure and must display more responsibility of what he says.

Of course, this is not the first time that an Australian player has been found guilty of such abuse. Darren Lehmann was the guilty one last time around.

While players have been found guilty, even the crowds in Australia have not been any better. Remember the infamous tour when South African players were called names by the crowd? Something needs to be done and quick. So what if Australia are the best cricket team in the world? That does not give them any right to abuse others.

[Darren Lehmann v Sri Lanka]

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