The decks have been cleared for Harbhajan Singh to play in the Perth Test, due to begin next Wednesday, after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday that it had received an appeal from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) against the finding that the off-spinner was guilty of making a racist remark to Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds. The ICC added that it would appoint a Commissioner soon to hear the Indian appeal.
According to Code of Conduct regulations, Harbhajan may continue to play pending the verdict of the appeal being given. “The ICC has a robust process of dealing with Code of Conduct issues, and that process will now run its natural course,” said ICC’s chief executive, Malcolm Speed.
It may be recalled that Sourav Ganguly had played on when he had appealed a ban imposed on him by match referee Clive Lloyd for a slow over rate during the one-off one-dayer against Pakistan in November 2004, and before his appeal was heard by Appeals Commissioner Michael Belloff, who threw out Lloyd’s sentence.
After Sunday night’s marathon hearing in Sydney, match referee Mike Procter had held Harbhajan guilty and slapped a three-Test ban, a move that threw a huge cloud over the continuance of the tour. The BCCI’s appeal was expected, particularly because it felt that the South African had held Harbhajan guilty despite being offered no substantial evidence by the Aussies to buttress their claim that Harbhajan had called Symonds a 'monkey'.
“We have received a Code of Conduct appeal from Harbhajan against the three-Test suspension,” Speed said. “A process is in place to deal with these issues. We have 16 Code of Conduct Commissioners, a very senior judge will be appointed in the next 24 hours.”
Evidence
The Commissioner will re-hear the evidence Procter heard on Sunday night before passing his verdict, Speed confirmed. “That involves some ten players and officials,” the Australian said. “Some of them are in Canberra, some have gone home. They will gather in Perth ahead of the Test. I simply don’t know whether it will be able to happen before that Test.”
India will be hoping the sooner the hearing takes place, the better it is for them because it will give them another opportunity to clear Harbhajan of racial charges. Harbhajan and the Indians have repeatedly stressed that the offie did not use the 'monkey' word. "We're very clear Harbhajan has not said that," media manager Dr MV Sridhar reiterated.
It’s possible that India might otherwise have deferred to conditions and contemplated leaving Harbhajan out at Perth. Now, it might be that if they will play the offie, irrespective of.
There still remains the larger goal of getting Harbhajan absolved of the racism stigma, though Procter has stood by his decision to punish him. “I am South African, and I understand the word racism,” Procter told an Australian paper. “I have lived with it for much of my life. This was not a case of just taking the word of an Australian over an Indian. I stand by my decision, I believe the process was a fair one. I don't have a problem with India. I have always had a good rapport with Indian players.”
Maybe so. But also maybe, Procter felt the pressure to make an example of Harbhajan after being chided by Speed for not punishing Yuvraj Singh for supposed dissent in the first Test. How’s that for interference?!