Date:26/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/26/stories/2008022656691900.htm

Sport - Cricket

Indians peeved at Aussie behaviour

Special Correspondent

Hobart: The Indians have forwarded a letter to Match Referee Jeff Crowe expressing their concern over the Aussie on-field behaviour in the ongoing CB ODI tri-series.

The Indian team manager Bimal Soni told The Hindu, “We have not lodged a complaint. But we want the Match Referee to be aware of the fact that the Aussies have been provoking the Indians to react in a particular manner. He needs to know who is responsible for the incidents.”

Soni added, “Whether it is (Matthew) Hayden or (Ricky) Ponting saying something to Harbhajan (Singh) or (Andrew) Symonds getting Ishant (Sharma) to react, the Aussies have been starting the incidents.”

Ishant fined

Earlier in the day, Soni and paceman Ishant met Crowe. Ishant was subsequently fined 15 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1.6 violation of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The young paceman had shown Symonds the way to the pavilion after castling the batsman at the SCG on Sunday. A Level 1.6 offence pertains to a bowler or a fielder gesturing towards the pavilion in an aggressive manner after the dismissal of a batsman.

Ponting said on Sunday night that he did not want the on-field incidents to be blown out of proportions. It was during the Test match at the SCG earlier in the series that the relationship between the two sides deteriorated.

Things between the two teams have largely improved subsequently but there has been the odd incident. The Aussie crowd, on its part, has booed Harbhajan whenever he comes on to bowl or bat.