By IANS
Brisbane : Despite the Sri Lankan team’s attempt to dismiss the unsavoury behaviour of Australian fans who attacked their cricketers Thursday night as a “non-event”, Cricket Australia (CA) has arranged extra police guards for the visitors, the media reported here Monday.
Sri Lanka’s chief selector, Don Arunasiri, was hit by an egg, while Muttiah Muralitharan and two other team managers were verbally abused by a car-load of people as they were walking from a restaurant back to the hotel Thursday night in Hobart. Earlier reports had said Muralitharn was the one hit by the egg.
“We have spoken to the Sri Lankans and increased security around the team hotel, so people would know there were cops hanging around,” CA spokesman Peter Young was quoted as saying by The Age.
Before the triangular one-day series between Sri Lanka, Australia and India began Sunday, CA warned fans to temper their behaviour towards visiting teams in light of the Harbhajan Singh row.
“The selector wasn’t greatly disturbed by the incident. On behalf of Australian cricket we expressed our regret. They have had a reception which is in direct contradiction to what Ricky Ponting had called for prior to the launch of the series in how fans should be treating visiting teams with respect,” Young said.
Sri Lankan coach Trevor Bayliss, the former New South Wales (NSW) coach, said Muralitharan and the officials were nonplussed and he was keen to downplay the attack for fear of sparking copycat attacks.
“They realise it was just a bunch of boofheads, and that those types of things happen every now and then in Australia,” Bayliss said. “It was a bunch of hoons being stupid, I wish it wasn’t in the paper. Basically it has been a non-event. I don’t think (Murali) was targeted in any way.”
Hobart police haven’t been able to find the offenders. There is doubt as to whether the attackers were aware of their cricketers’ identities, because they were not wearing team kit and it was dark.
Bayliss also said that there was no hint of animosity towards the Australian public by the party of four as a result of the incident, and that the players were looking forward to playing their first match against India Tuesday at the Gabba.
Young said that despite the unsavoury behaviour of the Hobart locals, the atmosphere around the tri-series was relaxed. “I think we’re in pretty good shape,” he said.