By IANS
Sydney : South African captain Graeme Smith has criticised Australian Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh of India for the Sydney racial farce and accused both of them of disrespecting the spirit of cricket.
Smith believes that the ugly rivalry between Symonds and Harbhajan has been going for a long time and both should be held responsible for failing to uphold the dignity of the game.
“I thought it was ugly. I am all for the game being played competitively but I think the boundaries of acceptability were crossed there (in Sydney),” Smith was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.
“It looks like it had been brewing for a while, the ugliness between the two of them, and it seemed to really come to a head.”
The Proteas skipper was also critical of the way both the cricketers handled the situation and called for a more respectful approach towards the game.
“The way they handle the situation is also important to the outcome. I know it’s a cliché, but I’m serious about cricket being the winner. Ultimately it provides all of us (players, administrators and media) with a job. So we need to respect it and look after it,” Smith urged.
Smith is no stranger to such incidents. In the 2005-06 tour of Australia, South African players were subjected to racial slurs by Australian fans.