Now it is the case of its own grapes turning sour. If one were to expect that with the’ letting off ‘of Harbajan singh with a minor offence would be taken in a sporting spirit by all including the affected,he/she is mistaken. For Cricket is no longer a sport,but, a symbol money and political power. Hence, the outburst of the Austrlian Cricketers and Media is least surprising, but, the tone of which is what worries the sporting world in general. This is celar from the tone of these criticisms enumerated below.
A SCATHING ATT AACK was made on the Cricket Authority by its players and local media attibuting motives for letting Harbajan Singh off the hook and calling him by names. According to them, the ‘money power’ was behind the decision of awarding a minimal punishment. Sydeney Herald opined that the players were frustrated and the decision in a single word was attributed to ‘money talk’. The article was titled ‘Crickets Day of Shame’. It further went to add that Cricket Australia had caved into India’s muscle flexing with a view to save the tri-series. They were driven by the fear that if the series did not go through as scheduled, they may be sued for damages of about U.S.$60 MILLION which if awarded would take atleast 10 years for them to recoup.
According to Daily Telegraph, it was through a combination of political clout and courtroom compromise, India had achieved the objective of getting a minimal punishment for its player.
CALLING HIM BY NAMES, Harbajan Singh was described as a liar, alleged to have broken his words and reported to have twice called Symonds as a monkey. An offer of apology in return for a minimal punishment was rejected.
Can we conclude this writeup by saying that CRICKET IS GOING TO DONKEYS?
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