By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian media Monday blasted umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson and the Australians for what they felt were inefficient umpiring and lack of sportsmanship during the second Test in Sydney.
India lost the second Test by 122 runs Sunday, and the International Cricket Council’s match referee Mike Proctor found Harbhajan Singh guilty of hurling racial abuse at Andrew Symonds and handed him a three-match ban.
“Team India c Benson b Bucknor,” screamed the Indian Express banner headline on its front page.
“Umpires beat India, ICC bans Bhajji,” said the Hindustan Times, referring to Harbhajan’s nickname. It added: “Double whammy for horrific umpiring, unfair racism charge traumatise team.”
The Times of India reported: “Bhajji banned for 3 Tests, umpires give Oz 2-0 lead.”
It went on: “Those who pick the Man of the Match are allowed to consider only the 22 men in white, who actually play the Test match. That’s the sole reason why Mark Benson, Steve Bucknor or B.N.J. Oxenford, three umpires officiating in the Sydney Test were not in the running for the award.”
India Today Group’s Mail Today ran a huge and bold headline “A Double Whammy” and wrote: “An angry nation looks on in horror as umpires do the dirty on India and match referee decides to slap a three-match ban on Bhajji.”
“Sydney Shocker: Harbhajan Banned,” roared The Statesman in its seven-column front-page headline while the Asian Age said “Umpires Defeat India”, also on the front page.
Leading dailies across the country gave front-page coverage to the controversial match.
One of the writers noted that the umpires made at least nine glaring errors – eight against India.
Many newspapers published on their front pages a photograph showing a desolate Harbhajan sitting on his knees after being caught by Michael Hussey off Michael Clarke in the second innings.
Others ran pictures of Rahul Dravid walking back to the dressing room dejectedly after being ‘wrongly’ declared out caught by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist off Symonds.
Even Australian writers in Indian papers did not spare the umpires. Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones, a commentator, who also writes a column in the Times of India, said: “Men in white should retire at 60.”
The Australian cricket team and Proctor, a former South Africa Test player, were not spared either.
Proctor went on record saying that the on-field umpires had not heard anything. But the match referee still handed out a three-match ban to the ace off-spinner, reportedly on the basis of statements of Australians Mathew Hayden and Michael Clarke.
“The Australians, incidentally, couldn’t produce any audio-evidence to establish their allegation. However, Symonds and Co charged that Harbhajan had said the same thing during the Mumbai ODI in mid-October,” said the Kolkata-based Telegraph.