Umpire axed, tour saved

INDIA'S threatened cricket tour of Australia will go ahead after a top umpire was axed yesterday.

INDIA'S threatened cricket tour of Australia will go ahead after a top umpire was axed yesterday.

The decision by the Indian cricket board came after world cricket chiefs scrambled to save the crisis-hit tour.

They sacked umpire Steve Bucknor and announced plans to fly in a top official to ease seething tensions between the two teams.

The chief executi ve of the International Cricket Council, Malcolm Speed, said Bucknor would be replaced by Billy Bowden for the third Test, starting in Perth next Wednesday.

Bucknor was slammed by the Indian team over his performance in Sydney. He was criticised for bungling key decisions in the match, which ended in accusations of bad sportsmanship and racism, overshadowing Australia's record-equalling 16th straight Test win.

India had effectively put the four-Test tour on hold while they appealed a three-Test ban for bowler Harbhajan Singh, who was accused of racially abusing Andrew Symonds, the only black player in the Australian side.

India's board (BCCI) expressed satisfaction at the ICC's decision to drop Bucknor and the news that Harbhajan would be allowed to play until his appeal was heard. The decision to continue with the tour came after a threat to call it off. The president of the Indian board, Sharad Pawar, said the tour could be cancelled if Harbhajan was not cleared.

The ICC has also decided to appoint a code of conduct commissioner to adjudicate on India's appeal against Harbhajan's ban.

Speed said: "What this does is give us an opportunity to move on. Over the past week we've seen the best and the worst of our game."

The damaging row had threatened to derail one of cricket's biggest series, at a reported cost to Cricket Australia of about R300-million in compensation payments to TV broadcasters.

Speed said ICC chief referee Ranjan Madugalle would attend the Perth Test from January 16 "to make sure the ill feeling that has evolved between the teams dissipates". Madugalle is a former Sri Lankan Test player.

India were incensed by Australia's behaviour on Sunday's tense final day, with captain Anil Kumble accusing the hosts of not living up to the spirit of the game.

He found an unusual ally in Australian newspapers yesterday, who called Ricky Ponting's team "boorish" and "arrogant" for taunting the visitors, pressuring the umpires and indulging in ungracious victory celebrations.

But Australia's Mike Hussey defended Ponting and said he had the backing of his team.

Speed said: "I believe the final two Tests will go ahead."

India continued to deny Harbhajan had called Symonds a "monkey" as the team, ordered to stay in Sydney rather than travel to Canberra as planned, took a day off to go to Bondi Beach.

Separately, 91percent of Indian fans polled by the Hindustan Times newspaper said they wanted the team to pull out of the tour.

The history of matches between Australia and India is littered with controversial incidents.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who heads the ICC's rule-making cricket committee, almost forfeited a Test match in Melbourne in 1981 before a timely intervention from the team manager.

India's brilliant come-from-behind victory in the home series in 2001 was marred by Australian captain Steve Waugh accusing his Indian counterpart Sourav Ganguly of "disrespect" for making him wait at the toss during the series.

Monkey chants greeted Symonds during the one-day series in India last year.

Cricket-mad India accounts for an estimated 70percent of the game's revenues while Australia have been the dominant force in the game for about 10 years.

West Indies manager Clive Lloyd and Proteas coach Mickey Arthur expressed concern at the decision to sack Bucknor.

"It's a bad precedent," said Lloyd. "No one's infallible."

Arthur said he hoped it would not lead to similar actions in future. - Sapa-AFP and Reuters