Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Was it cricket?

For what it is worth, please let it be known that not all Australians are proud of what happened at the second Test between Australia and India in Sydney. It must be shattering indeed for Indians to have witnessed their team fight to the last and still lose thanks to some unfortunate umpiring mistakes. But at least India still has a team it can be rightly proud of.

Now think what it’s like to love cricket but have only a team to support that cares simply for winning at all costs; that cynically manipulates rules, tactics ... and yes ... even umpires, for one singular purpose — with no regard whatsoever for the game’s higher ideals of fair play. Indians can at least can go home and mourn for a team whose reputation can only be enhanced as a result of this unhappy episode.

But for us, now what? Can you even begin to imagine the empty feeling so many Australian cricket lovers are left with today? Who do we support now? And for what purpose do we waste our time and energy ever going to a cricket match again? For, certainly, a ‘glorious victory’ has never ever felt so utterly hollow and beneath contempt.

James Crawford,

Melbourne

The Australian cricket team, which equalled its own record of 16 consecutive Test victories by winning the Sydney Test match, cannot be proud of the victory. Umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson turned the match in Australians’ favour with their rank bad umpiring decisions against Indians. The team might have won the Test match but it certainly is not a champion side.

P. Krishna,

Chennai

The Australians have proved beyond doubt that they can go to any extent to maintain their winning streak. We, Indians, must be satisfied that we are second only to a country which won by poor sportsmanship. Winning is not important. What is important is to fight well. Hats off to India for fighting well.

K. Azhar Mohammed,

Chennai

A defeat is nothing new for Team India. But the shabby manner in which the Indians were done in by the umpires is highly condemnable. Eight decisions went against India and a bumped catch taken by the Aussies was upheld. Was it plain human error?

S. Anbalagan,

Kumbakonam

The match has left a bitter taste in the mouth of all cricket lovers. The unusually poor umpiring throughout the game and the ugly incident involving Harbhajan Singh and Symmonds, leading to a three-test ban on the former, take the sheen out of the Australian victory. Given a fair chance, India would have seen through the last day’s play with Rahul Dravid who looked quite good and Saurav Ganguly who was firmly in the saddle.

P. Prasand Thampy,

Thiruvalla

What happened on Sunday was not cricket. The Australians have completely forgotten that it is a gentleman’s game. Grace has completely gone out of the cricket of the country whose captain Bill Woodfull said during the Bodyline series: “There are two teams out there; one is trying to play cricket and the other is not.”

P.N. Ananthanarayanan,

Chennai

Anil Kumble and his men conducted themselves in the most dignified way, even after the umpiring decisions changed the course of the match.

Ananth Govind Rajan,

New Delhi

Kumble has emerged a hero. The Australian team should learn more than cricket from Kumble and his boys.

B. Ramakishore,

Chennai

One wonders who should be ashamed, apart from the umpires, at the result of the Sydney Test — the losers or the winners?

M.C. Swaminathan,

Bangalore

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