Australian media reported yesterday that India's Harbhajan Singh directed monkey gestures at the Sydney crowd in Sunday's one-day international. The Australian newspaper said the spin bowler was under investigation from match referee Jeff Crowe.
Harbhajan was given a three-Test ban for allegedly calling Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds a monkey during the contentious second Test match in January.
After an appeal by India and threats they would abandon the Australian tour, the racism charge was downgraded to verbal abuse by the International Cricket Council and a fine replaced the original ban.
The ex-High Court judge who heard the appeal also was critical of Symonds' attitude in the match.
Symonds, who has West Indian heritage, was taunted with monkey gestures by Indian crowds during a limited-overs tour last year, had reportedly told Harbhajan before this Australian summer that he believed the taunts were racist and offensive.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday quoted a spectator saying Harbhajan made monkey gestures at the crowd soon after he'd dismissed batsman Matthew Hayden for 82 on Sunday.
Harbhajan, who had earlier dismissed Symonds for 31, had celebrated Hayden's wicket by shadow boxing with teammate Yuvraj Singh.
That was a veiled comeback to comments last week by Hayden, who was reprimanded for calling Harbhajan an ``obnoxious weed'' and saying in a radio interview that he would not mind facing Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma in the boxing ring.
India team manager Bimal Soni reacted angrily to the latest claims.
"I think it is wrong," Soni told the Australian Associated Press. "Nothing has been done like that. They are making a mountain out of a mole hill. He did nothing."
"These stories I do not believe them and I strongly condemn them," he said.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their