Cricket Blog

Harbhajan Verdict

Judge Hansen, from New Zealand, gave the verdict of Not Guilty to the racism charge against Harbhajan Singh in a hearing that lasted almost 6 hours. After hearing evidence from the stump microphones, Judge Hansen said that he was convinced that on all evidence submitted before him the charge of a level 3.3 offence was not proven, but that Harbhajan should be charged with a level 2.8 offence.

Harbhajan admitted that he was guilty of using foul language and so has been fined 50 percent of his match fee. A lot of supporters back in India and overseas will find this justice, and it may be, but the way it has been achieved leaves a sour taste.

The initial ban on Habhajan should have been handled more professionally. When you are charging a high profile player from the biggest money-making machine for the ICC, one has to be careful and thoughtful about the possible ramifications. Mike Proctor was guilty of failing on both counts. He made the mistake of believing Andrew Symonds’ and Matty Hayden’s word against Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar’s. When there are witnesses from both sides testifying to different things, even a common person knows that a judge needs more conclusive evidence. Proctor ignored this basic rule to brand Bhajji racist. He lost his reputation. Australia lost the battle then and there.

In new evidence from the stump mic it is still unclear what the initial exchange was between Symonds and Bhajji. The Australians are quick to point that Harbhajan broke the agreement between the two players in India. However, there is no acknowledgment that it was really Symonds who broke the deal when he first decided to give Bhajji a sound lashing to which the Indian responded. Where is the justice in that? Symonds gets away scot-free because he is the “victim” of his own medicine. Yet the Indian spinner gets charged and insulted on public TV. The stigma of being a racist will now always hang over Harbhajan’s head.

Not to mention that the BCCI was very gentlemanly about its behavior. After first declaring that the Indian team would come back if Harbhajan’s appeal wasn’t heard, the board should not have said that the team would be coming back unless the Indian off-spinner was cleared of all racial charges. What this has done now is made it clear that the verdict was based on India’s threats rather than Harbhajan really not being guilty. The Indian board should have stayed silent and if the verdict would have been not guilty, simply should have called the team back. Using a “gun to the head of ICC” the BCCI just made themselves look like bullies.

Still, I believe that justice has been done. When known criminals can walk away scot-free due to lack of lack of evidence, you simply can’t charge a high profile player of racism unless proven for sure that the word was said, and if so in what context. If Andrew Symonds doesn’t mind his friends being racist to him, as he has clearly said he doesn’t mind his mates calling him a monkey, then these are double standards to charge a “stranger” for the same thing. There is surely going to be a big hue and cry over this verdict in Australia, and around the world. Already the Australian media has condemned the decision and labelled the ICC as pawns in the financially-powerful Indian board’s hands - quite typical and expected. The Indian media hails this as justice done - once again expected. I am just rubbing my hands as the ODI series has become all the more exciting and interesting.

Bookmark: