Bucknor made the scapegoat as ICC cave in to Indians

Not only did the International Cricket Council contradict their own rules in dropping umpire Steve Bucknor like a stone when India complained about his performance in the rancourous second Test in Sydney but they also, incredibly, paved the way for Harbhajan Singh to play in the third Test in Perth next week.

Life's a beach: Harbhajan enjoys a game of beach volleyball on Bondi yesterday

Harbhajan was suspended for three Tests by referee Mike Procter for allegedly calling Andrew Symonds 'a monkey' during a match where Australia eventually recorded their 16th successive Test victory.

But he will almost certainly play in Perth because India's appeal against the ban will not be heard before the start of the match on January 16.

India had threatened to cancel their tour, throwing cricket into a crisis to rival Bodyline, if they had not got their own way on Bucknor and Harbhajan.

It is a dreadful indictment of the ICC that they claim they will almost certainly not be able to organise the appeal before then because they will have to listen again to evidence from 10 players and officials.

But there is a much more significant conclusion to be taken from their obfuscation than mere tardy administration.

It is simply that India, who generate more money from cricket than all the other Test nations combined, are indisputably running the world game, not the governing body.

Put to one side, for a moment, the incendiary prospect of Harbhajan lining up against Symonds and his team-mates in a Test that India must win to stay in this four-match series — a scenario which would not be allowed by a decisive governing body, while he is under the shadow of such a serious charge.

Instead, ponder this. How can the ICC decide to sack Bucknor from this series, even though he had a shocker, when their own Standard Playing Conditions dictate that 'neither team will have the right of objecting to an umpiring appointment'?

India complained about Bucknor and to make sure the show goes on, the ICC quickly dumped him — leaving their credibility again in tatters.

The veteran Jamaican, who has umpired more Tests than anyone, was keeping his thoughts to himself, but his hopes of moving towards retirement with reputation and dignity intact have been ruined by the latest example of the ICC treating its own employees ruthlessly when they are most in need of support.

Billy Bowden will be brought in to officiate with Asad Rauf in Perth, England's Mark Benson being convieniently due to miss the next game, but Procter will remain as referee.

The ICC will fly chief referee Ranjan Madugalle — that Red Adair of cricketing firefighting — to Australia to mediate between captains Ricky Ponting and Anil Kumble.

Just to complete their act of appeasement, the ICC also charged Australia's Brad Hogg under level three of their code of conduct, the same seriousness as Harbhajan's offence, for allegedly being abusive to Kumble and his vice- captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Hogg is said to have called the pair 'bastards' but there was no suggestion that his offence was racial.

Hogg's case, after he was accused by India at the end of the Test when they discovered that Harbhajan was to be charged, will be heard in Perth two days before the Test.

Malcolm Speed, thankfully soon to end his undistinguished spell as ICC chief executive, attempted to justify the governing body's actions in Melbourne yesterday.

'What we've seen is a lot of criticism of umpiring decisions, a lot of ill-feeling,' said Speed.

'What we need to do is alleviate some of the tension that is focused on this next match and one way of doing that is to bring in a new umpiring team.

'I expect Steve will continue as an ICC elite panel umpire. He is coming to the end of his career. Steve accepted that, in the interests of the game and this Test, it is better that another umpire substitutes for him.

'When the presence of an umpire becomes an issue that causes further aggravation we need to be flexible.'

A judge to hear the appeals process in the Harbhajan case will be appointed today.

An emergency meeting of the working committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in New Delhi yesterday said that in light of the ICC action, the tour 'will continue at present'.

But president of the board Sharad Pawar was urged to use 'all possible resources to clear Harbhajan of the obnoxious and baseless allegation of racism that was uncalled for, patently illegal and unacceptable'. Pawar has every chance of succeeding when faced with Speed.

In the midst of this whole sorry affair it should not be forgotten that the Australians are far from innocent parties in the mess.

Their conduct under Ricky Ponting was questionable in Sydney, as it often is, and it was intriguing to see the reaction from the surprisingly conservative Australian nation.

A backlash against the uncompromising way Australia play their cricket was led yesterday by former Somerset captain Peter Roebuck, now a leading cricket writer in Australia and a self-appointed Aussie.

He called for Ponting to be sacked over the unedifying scenes of conflict in Sydney that led to the clash between Symonds and Harbhajan.

In this case there appear to be no winners, even though Ponting's Australia will attempt to create history by winning their 17th consecutive match in Perth.

That match already has the look of a tainted affair about it.