The Gentleman's Game

5:02pm Friday 11th January 2008

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Cricket's Bollyline scandal may have dragged the sport's reputation through the mud in the past week but it has served to air some dirty laundry.

By focusing attention on the sledging that has been an unspoken truth for so long, the controversy surrounding former Surrey man Harbhajan Singh may just well ensure The Gentleman's Game' is no longer a misnomer.

And as a patriotic Australian very proud of our wonderful sporting achievements, I accept it is those wearing the famous baggy green who have - more than most - dragged cricket into the gutter.

Steve Waugh called it "mental disintegration" and the Aussies' ruthless approach to perfection that has just seen them equal their own record of 16 consecutive Test victories has been carried on by his successor Ricky Ponting.

The baby-faced Tasmanian has been made the Singh-gate scapegoat, with several of his countrymen turning on him - perhaps conveniently overlooking the long list of triumphs they have no doubt celebrated as much as anyone.

Peter Roebuck, an Englishman who has become one of Australia's most respected cricket commentators since becoming a citizen there two decades ago, led the calls for Punter's head, describing the second Test win over India as "the ugliest performance by an Australian side for 20 years".

He added: "If Cricket Australia cares a fig for the tattered reputation of our national team, it will no longer tolerate the sort of arrogant and abrasive conduct seen from the captain and his senior players."

His views - expressed in a column in the Sydney Morning Herald - divided opinion Down Under, with 58 per cent of 45,000 readers who responded to the question of whether he was right voting yes.

While I dislike the arrogance of Ponting's team, I am not among the dissenters calling for his head - I'm not sure he should pay the price for a culture that was in place long before he was made skipper and, in reporting Harbhajan's alleged racist comments, he has done the right thing.

But there is no denying sledging on the pitch has got out of control and that something has to be done. Equally, however tasteless the comments made by players attempting to unsettle an opponent, there is no excuse for racism.

If Harbhajan did call Andrew Symonds a "monkey" - and I see no reason why he would make up such a serious allegation - he should be punished.

The lip service paid by footballing authorities to racist comments made by eastern European fans and a certain Spain manager in recent times is appalling - the ICC should not fall into the same trap.

Giving in to India's threat to abandon their tour should their spinner's three-match ban not be overturned would send out the wrong message.

Take a stand on racism first, then tackle the sledging that prompted it - and then we can all get back to enjoying The Gentleman's Game for the right reasons.