cricket australia

Justice Hansen's report on the Harbhajan Singh appeal case arrived from the ICC in the form of a 22-page document yesterday evening. The Australian has converted it to one very long HTML page - but beware, it contains:

• Frequent Coarse Language (in English and Punjabi),
• Violence (Harbhajan Singh slapping Brett Lee's buttock),
• Sexual References (see Frequent Coarse Language and Violence),
• Horror (the ICC's disciplinary records database),
• Adult Themes (discussion of the appropriate standard of proof with reference to "The Queen on the application of Dr Harish Doshi v the Southend-On-Sea Primary Care Trust"), and
• Not-At-All-Adult-Themes (see Frequent Coarse Language, Violence, and Horror).

Harbhajan Singh's successful appeal against his Level 3 transgression, and its replacement with a Level 2 charge, seems on the surface of things to be the right decision, though I think the penalty imposed (50 per cent of his "match fee" - whatever that is) is light. The use of obscene language in an abusive context, regardless of the language in which it is spoken, is abhorrent.

We will know later today more about Justice Hansen's reasons for the findings when he releases his full written statement. Meanwhile, the reports that are coming out concerning back-room deals before the appeal hearing are very disturbing.

Absurdity follows absurdity in the latest contretemps that positions world cricket somewhere on the spectrum between WWE wrestling and the personal life of Britney Spears. Frankly, it has elements of both. There's the hyped-up petulance and faux conflict of the prima donnas dressed up as professional sportsmen.

A bit of preamble before I write my thoughts about the off-field events of the past 24 hours.

I have seen very little of the Sydney Test, won by Australia late yesterday afternoon. I was on holidays with my daughter for most of the week and listened to the second half of Sunday's play on the radio at home. (If I really wanted to, I could probably have made the dash across to the ground when they threw the gates open for free at 4.30pm.)

Ah yes, the home Test cricket season has begun. All the familiar trappings of the opening day.

The quiet buzz of the crowd still finding their seats as the first ball of the day is bowled. The sedate crack of willow on leather which echoes around the stadium as the ball is struck defensively to the leg side. The same act repeated five more times as Phil Jaques blocks Chaminda Vaas' inswingers. The return of the drizzle at the end of the over, the covers are driven on as the players and umpires walk off.

Ever worried about all these new anti-terrorist laws? Ever worried that their wide-ranging discretionary powers would be used for entirely non-terrorism related reasons? Well, it happened in Australia this week.

The Australian cricket team was threatened with action under the Australian Passports Act 2005 if they went ahead with this September's planned tour of Zimbabwe.

JOHN HOWARD: Well the Government, through the Foreign Minister, has written to the organisation, Cricket Australia, instructing that the tour not go ahead. [..]

BARRIE CASSIDY: What is the legal basis for this? How can you put out that instruction?

So who's a pretty bully boy then?

While Cricket Australia was crying foul over the world cup organisers' objection to their choice of sponsor, they had the boot on the other foot getting stuck into Queensland Cricket over a very similar issue.

Cricket Australia has responded within hours after losing their appeal to the ICC disputes committee (see my earlier posting today).

Emirates, the UAE-based airline best known in Australia for sponsoring Collingwood Football Club, will be the official team sponsor for the Australian team for the world cup in the Caribbean in March and April. Emirates, of course, is also the naming rights sponsor of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel and is the "official airline" of the Dubai-based ICC.

Travelex (Thomas Cook in a past life) has been the naming rights sponsor for Australian touring teams overseas since 2001, even to the point of the "Ashes Tour" officially becoming the "Travelex Tour of the UK and Ireland".

But with less than five weeks till the start of the one-day world championships in the Caribbean, Cricket Australia's arrangements with Travelex have been blocked under ICC ambush marketing rules, and confirmed yesterday by its Disputes Resolution Committee.