'World cricket all but paralysed'
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
AFP
It’s a full paper in the Australian with Malcolm Conn covering the racist chants aimed at Andrew Symonds and Peter Lalor looking at Ricky Ponting’s subtle jibes at the opposition. The columnist Patrick Smith takes a global perspective by saying “world cricket is all but paralysed”.
The ruling body cannot make a decision that is not compromised. Bowling has been reduced to throwing, umpiring to the art of convenience, racial abuse to a point of view. Player behaviour teeters on the brink of violence.
Money is power and principle has no currency. Andrew Symonds continues to be racially abused. The Board of Control for Cricket in India scoffs at the accusation and Cricket Australia mumbles but does not act.
The Indian papers weren't short on opinion either. One shouldn't jump the gun on the racism angle, writes the Hindustan Times' Kadambari Murali, but it's time the Indian board took action against erring crowds.
Well, we do know he [Symonds] was taunted. What we don't know is whether the taunts were intended to be racist or a puerile and reprehensible way of upsetting an opposition player. Whatever it is, it is high time the BCCI took serious note of this. I doubt if the delinquents who taunted Symonds intended to do so because he was the team's only "black" member. Frankly, I doubt if that occurred to anyone. From an Indian perspective, he is viewed as just an Aussie — a member of a team having its way with India.
In the Mumbai Mirror Dhananjay Roy feels it's a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Peter English is former Australasia editor of ESPNcricinfo