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India lodge complaint against Hogg The simmering feud between the Indian and Australian cricket teams took another turn on Sunday with the visitors lodging a complaint against spinner Brad Hogg [Images] for using abusive language during the second Test. The Indians lodged a formal complaint against Hogg during the disciplinary hearing into Harbhajan Singh's [Images] alleged racial abuse directed at Andrew Symonds [Images]. The new development has only intensified the already charged atmosphere in the two camps, who have been engaged in a virtual war of attrition in the second Test which ended on Sunday. The horrendous umpiring decisions, which proved costly for India, and the blatantly unsporting conduct of the Australians has left the Indians infuriated with captain Anil Kumble [Images] saying at the post-match press conference that "only one team played in the true spirit of the game." In what has been a week of high drama marked by charges and counter-charges, the latest development only reflects the bitterness between the two teams. The Australians had accused Harbhajan of racially abusing Symonds during the third day of the Sydney Test and lodged a formal complaint with the umpires, who, however, have gone on record saying they heard nothing offensive. Harbhajan was subsequently asked to appear for a hearing by ICC [Images] Match Referee Mike Procter. The off-spinner has been charged under rule 3.3 of the ICC's Code of Conduct that deals with using language or gestures that insults a person on the basis of race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin. If found guilty, he could be banned for two to four Tests or four to eight one-dayers. But Harbhajan has vehemently denied saying anything racial during the altercation. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/06hogg.htm

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Speed defends Bucknor, Benson Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson may have reduced themselves to laughing stock with a series of dubious decisions in the Sydney Test but ICC [Images] chief executive Malcolm Speed [Images] believes it was just a bad day in the office for the umpires. Speed said it was just a bad match even though he stressed on the need for the officials do perform well to win the respect of the players. "It's a difficult job made more difficult by technology and improvements in technology. I think we have the best umpires available. "Generally they've performed very well. From time to time there is a bad match," Speed was quoted as saying by The Australian newspaper. Both the umpires made a series of blunders, which influenced the outcome of the Sydney Test to a large extent. Speed said umpires must maintain high standards if they expected players to respect their decisions. "They're the issues we've been seeking to take out of the game. We want players to respect umpires and respect the umpires' decision. "It's up to the umpires though to perform at a high level to ensure that the players respect their decisions," Speed said. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/06speed.htm

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Bucknor may not stand in Perth Controversial umpire Steve Bucknor is most likely to sit out of the third cricket Test at Perth after a livid Indian team went public with their grouse against the veteran West Indian. It is learnt that ICC [Images] is favourably inclined to agree with the request of the Indian team that Bucknor does not stand in any other match of the ongoing series. Without taking names, Indian team manager Chetan Chauhan made it known his team's feelings about the umpires in the Sydney Test match. "I would like to express the sentiment of the team. The way the umpiring was, the team is agitated and upset," Chauhan said after the team's 122-run loss to Australia in Sydney on Sunday. "A lot of decisions have gone against us, of course a few went against the Australians also. But it really affected us." "Had some of the decisions, I would say 50 per cent of the decisions, were received in our favour, the result would have been different," he added. Chauhan said the complain had nothing to do with India losing the game and was a general disappointment with the officiating. "We're not saying this because we have lost the game. It was for everybody to see. I have been informed by the BCCI that they are lodging a strong protest with the ICC so that some of the incompetent umpires do not umpire in the rest of the series," he said. The Indian team management is likely to draft a carefully worded letter about their request to not let Bucknor, or his partner Mark Benson in this Test, stand further in this series. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/06steve.htm

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The Indian board president, Sharad Pawar has said he was determined to preserve strong ties between the India and Australia. "There is an extremely good relationship between the countries," he told the Melbourne-based Age. "There has been a conflict on the field and an issue has been reported by some players, but I don't want to react. It is important it should not spoil the relationship between the countries or the teams. That is not our desire." maybe somebody should show him this [ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=WtZp-UUK18s]WtZp-UUK18s[/ame]

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He wants to be next ICC president. God, I curse the day when he took over the reign from Dalmiya. Dalmiya might be crook, but under these crunch situations he would have stood by our players. FCK U SHARAD PAWAR.

[Desi Cartman]

there is a reason why I always call him "fat B@stard"