TUESDAY, JAN 9 (News Locale) - The sacking of controversial West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor from the Perth Test has drawn mixed reactions worldwide. Indian supporters and many former Indian players greeted the move, but several eminent players felt the International Cricket Council was setting a dangerous precedent by bowing to the demands of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.  

While there was universal agreement that India got a raw deal in the Sydney Test, many felt that India could have lodged a protest and not sulked. Former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath was especially vocal in criticising the ICC.

"What is there, eight international umpires on the panel? And if a couple of teams aren't happy with umpires then all of a sudden you have got one to choose from," he told the Aussie paper The Age.

Bucknor's horrible umpiring decisions are thought to have cost India the game at Sydney. Steve Bucknor gave Rahul Dravid out when replays clearly showed the ball had nicked his pads and not the bat. That decision turned the match on its head on the final day.

His counterpart Mark Benson did not refer Sourav Ganguly's controversial catch taken by Michael Clarke to the third umpire. Amazingly he decided to ask the players and Aussie captain Ricky Ponting nodded that Clarke had taken the catch upon which Mr Benson raised his finger.

It would be foolish to say that these two decisions cost India the match. No, It all began on the first day when Andrew Symonds was on 30 and the Australian were struggling at 150 odd for loss of six wickets.

Symonds clearly edged an Ishant Sharma ball to Dhoni, but Bucknor in all his wisdom declared him not out. It did not help matters when Symonds "confessed" at a press meet that he was out. As if this was not enough, the umpires also got caught in an alleged racism row between Symonds and Harbhajan Singh. It is a different matter that the duo never heard anything offensive. Harbhajan was banned for three Tests by referee Mike Proctor.

The BCCI decided to suspend the Tour till the Harbhajan matter was resoled and a panicked ICC decided to intervene before things got out of hand. Harbhajan can now play in the Perth Test and will have a hearing before New Zealand high court judge John Hansen. The time and date are yet to be decided.

Meanwhile ICC chief Malcolm Speed insisted that they had not been held to ransom in this issue. "We can't have one set of rules for the India team and another set for everyone else. We will follow the process and I hope whatever the outcome all parties will be able to say they have had a fair hearing," he said.

The ICC has also asked Cricket Australia to rein in its players. Unsportsman-like conduct was one issue in the Test prompting Indian skipper Anil Kumble to say, "Only one team played in the spirit of the game."
 

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