Racial slur angers Aussies

SYDNEY, Jan 5: Australia reacted strongly Wednesday to growing accusations of racial bias against Asian cricket nations, saying it was more a case of sour grapes, reports AFP.

Pakistani cricket official Shafqat Rana was quoted last week as saying the chucking charges levelled at fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar by the game's governing body were "racially motivated."

Rana said Asian teams like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were being discriminated against, whether it concerned a bowler's action or biased umpiring.

His target was the International Cricket Council (ICC), but the Australian media ensured the row did not distract from their team's 3-0 whitewash of both India and Pakistan this summer.

"The Australian view is that India and Pakistan are making excuses for their heavy defeats this season," the Sydney Morning Herald wrote.

"Most of the problems result from understandable cultural clashes, with a dash of paranoia. There is an ugly split in world cricket which takes attention from Australia's performances," it added.

The blame for the perceived rift is often directed at one man -- Australian umpire Darrell Hair, whose no-balling of Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Murlitharan in 1995 snowballed into a major row.

The divide escalated a few months later when Australia joined the West Indies in refusing to play their World Cup matches in Colombo after a bomb attack in the Sri Lankan capital left 100 dead.

In what Asia considered a fitting reply, Arjuna Ranatunga's Sri Lankans crushed Australia in the tournament's final in Pakistan.

But the row refused to die out.

Another Australian umpire Ross Emerson no-balled Murlitharan again in a one-day international in Adelaide last season, prompting Ranatunga to lead his team off the field.

This summer, Australian umpires queried Shoaib's action at the start of Pakistan's tour, which ended with match referee John Reid of New Zealand reporting the bowler to the ICC.

When the ICC banned Shoaib, Pakistani cricket chief Tauqir Zia laid the blame squarely on Australia.

"Shoaib has played 13 Tests and 26 one-day internationals and was watched by world class umpires... but suddenly when the team goes to Australia things started happening," Zia said.

"Why do such things start in Australia?"

The Indian series, which followed Pakistan's, also had it's fair share of controversy.

It started with the contentious dismissal of their captain and star batsman Sachin Tendulkar in both innings of the first Test in Adelaide by Australian umpire Daryl Harper.

In the second Test in Melbourne, seamer Venkatesh Prasad was fined for aggressive celebration, while Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath was let off with just a warning for a similar offence in the final Test in Sydney.

It did not concern the Indians the official who gave the two verdicts was Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madu-galle.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar hinted in his widely syndicated column that match referees around the world targetted Asian cricketers, while letting off players from other countries.

Umpire Hair was again at the centre of a row during the Sydney Test when he refused to heed Tendulkar's request for sawdust to be strewn over a slippery infield.

Hair and his Zimbabwean colleague Ian Robinson also declined to take action when a shoe was thrown at fielder Prasad in the outfield, prompting the Indians to question the attitude of the umpires.

"We feel that umpires should run the game, not try to be policemen," said Kapil Dev, Test cricket's leading wicket-taker and the current Indian coach.

Former Australian Test batsman Dean Jones, whose heroic double century in the tied Test at Madras in 1986 won over Indian fans, fears for the future in the current climate.

"There's a nice synergy between Australia and India, and I just hope it is not wrecked by a few things off the field," he said.

India and Pakistan play Australia in a long-awaited one-day series starting on Sunday.