Is India the worst behaved team in world cricket?
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23044267-5001023,00.html?from=public_rss
THEY have protested their innocence throughout the recent racism saga - but India are the worst-behaved team in world cricket.
As the tourists persist with threats to abort their tour of Australia, official ICC data obtained by The Sunday Telegraph shows India have faced more sanctions than any Test-playing rival in the past 10 years.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly is the game’s undisputed problem child, being hauled over the coals by cricket’s governing body a record 12 times in his international career.
Overall, Indian players have been charged for 43 infringements since 1997, for offences including intimidating umpires, abusing rival players, ball tampering, time wasting and widespread dissent.
Of the present touring party, five have copped fines or suspensions - Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh.
The rap sheet is evidence the Indians are anything but cricketing choirboys as they continue to deny spinner Harbhajan is guilty of racially abusing all-rounder Andrew Symonds.
Yet despite the raft of indiscretions, Indian cricket board vice-president Lalit Modi insists the side does not have an attitude problem.
"Sometimes you see sides carry on when the stakes are high but we are not one of them,‘’ Modi said from India.
"I am sure there have been incidents with the Indian team in the past, but in the two years I have been on the board, I have not seen such behaviour problems with our team.
"I am not privy to the facts you have. We have not done such research but our boys are generally well behaved. Most of our players are very good.
"In the past, there were certainly some incidents involving Ganguly but he has not had an issue for some time.
"If our players are fined or reprimanded, what is it for? Sometimes it can be wasting time or misconduct … not every offence is serious.‘’
Analysis of the ICC’s code of conduct breaches over the past decade show that:
Only Pakistan came close to India’s ill-discipline with 39 offences, led by veteran batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has been reprimanded 11 times;
Despite claims they have worse conduct issues than India, Australia are ranked fourth with 25 infringements. Glenn McGrath (six), Ricky Ponting (four), Adam Gilchrist (four) and Brett Lee (three) are the worst offenders;
Harbhajan has a history of poor conduct. The first of his five offences came in 1998, when he was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for abusing Australia skipper Ricky Ponting after having him stumped;
Indian paceman Sreesanth is emerging as world cricket’s next bad boy. Ruled out of the Test series with injury, he was charged four times in the nine months up to last September;
Dravid and Tendulkar, seen as two of cricket’s most squeaky-clean figures, have both been caught ball tampering. Tendulkar was fined 75 per cent of his match fee in 2001, while Dravid was fined half of his for altering the ball’s condition in a one-dayer against Zimbabwe in Brisbane in 2004.
But the main protagonist is Ganguly. The ex-skipper has forked out around $50,000 in fines for offences ranging from abusing players and umpires to bringing the game into disrepute for failing to control his side.
In a 15-month period in 2004-05, Ganguly committed a staggering five breaches. His final act of unfair play for time wasting saw him banned for four one-day internationals.
Since his return to the Test side last year he has kept a clean slate, although he flagged India’s mind-set last month when he told The Sunday Telegraph his side would not be bullied by Australia.
"That is not a worry for us,‘’ Ganguly said after a dramatic one-day series in India.
"What happened in India, for me, is in the past, but for Australia, maybe not. They will try to pressure us and they may say some things but we … can handle that.‘’
West Indian great Michael Holding, who travels the world as a commentator, says the Indians are by no means well behaved, but says they are among the best of a bad bunch.
"I have seen a lot of all the teams and I don’t find India to be the worst, not at all,‘’ he said.
"I wouldn’t say they are well behaved, but they are not the worst. These days there aren’t too many well-behaved teams in cricket. Unfortunately, the game has become win at all costs - whatever it takes to win.‘’
CRICKET’S SINNERS
Team offences since 1997
India - 43
Pakistan - 39
South Africa - 27
Australia - 25
England - 21
Sri Lanka - 18
Zimbabwe - 15
New Zealand - 14
West Indies - 13
Player Offences
Sourav Ganguly - 12
Inzamam ul-Haq - 11
Shoaib Akhtar - 7
Graeme Smith - 6
Glenn McGrath - 6
Harbhajan Singh - 5
