> Idiotic umpiring ! India gonna sue bucknor and benson

Sydney: Umpires have hardly made the headlines like the way they have in the Sydney Test with dismal decisions ruling the roost at the SCG. And unfortunately for the visiting Indian team, they are staring defeat largely due to the men in the white coats.

The Indian team management in Australia had decided to let the issue go despite BCCI's instructions after the first innings. But after errors continued to prevail, BCCI President Sharad Pawar has decided to lodge an official complain with ICC against it, Board Vice-President Rajiv Shukla has said. The BCCI says the umpiring standard has been unacceptable and it did not find it to be neutral.

Umpire Steve Bucknor is playing his part in handing Australia a likely win in the Sydney Test. Umpires Mark Benson and Bucknor have come under flak for some shocking decisions in the match and with India fighting a hard battle to save the Test, Bucknor did it again on the decisive final day.

On the fifth day, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly had led the recovery act from 54-3 and had taken the score to 115-3 as India chased an unlikely 333 for a win.

Dravid had played solidly to get to 38 and was undone by this decision from Bucknor, followoing a caught behind appeal by Andrew Symonds.

Dravid, not one to reveal his emotions on the field, reacted angrily and replays confirmed why. The bat was way behind the pad but was adjudged to have edged the ball.

Sourav Ganguly continued with his purple patch with the bat with characteristic elegance, but when he edged the ball to slip fielder Michael Clarke who claimed a dubious catch, umpire Mark Benson thought it apt to ask captain Ricky Ponting who confirmed he did take it even as Ganguly refused to leave the field.

India, who could have easily saved the second Test, instead stared at defeat which could deal a severe blow to their series leveling chances. Replays confirmed Clarke had grounded the catch.

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting [Images] admitted umpiring blunders marred the second Test against India but hoped the match would be remembered for all the right reasons.

"I think it's fair to say that there were a few mistakes made but I am not going comment anything more as it might get me in trouble," the jubilant Australian skipper said after his team's record-equalling 16th straight Test win in Sydney.

"I hope this match is remembered for the cricket that was played. Yes, there were a few controversies by the side but the match itself was played in the right spirit and I hope it continues," he added.

Though laid low by a series of dubious decisions, India almost snatched a draw before part-time spinner Michael Clarke [Images] conjured up three wickets in five balls to guide the hosts to a thrilling 122-run triumph.

Ponting was at the centre of the contentious dismissal of Sourav Ganguly [Images] when umpire Mark Benson sought his word on whether the left-hander's catch had carried to Clarke at slips before ruling the batsman out.

"The umpire looked at me and asked whether that was out. I checked with Michael, who said it was absolutely clean and I gestured that to the umpire," he said.

Clarke apparently took the ball off the ground and the dismissal raised eyebrows as Benson turned to fielders, instead of checking with Steve Bucknor at square leg or the third umpire.

"Before the series started, me and Anil (Kumble) had a meeting with the Match Referee where we agreed to go with the fielder's word on close catches and that is exactly what happened in this case. If you remember, I had decided not to claim a catch earlier in the match when I wasn't sure about it being clean," he pointed out.

On the record-equalling win, Ponting said he never had it in his mind going into the final day's play.

"I wasn't even thinking about the 16th win. To get it is just amazing, especially after the position we were in on the first day of the match. Our recovery was remarkable," he said.

On handing the ball to part-time spinner Clarke, instead of a frontline bowler in the last couple of overs, Ponting
said, "He has done it before against India. And I thought tailenders would have it easy against pacers and he seemed like a good spin option as Brad Hogg [Images] wasn't getting the wickets," he said.

India captain Anil Kumble [Images] launched an astonishing attack on Australia's cricketers after his team were beaten in the second Test on Sunday, accusing them of breaching the spirit of the game.

Kumble was unable to contain his fury after his team were beaten by 122 runs in a thrilling and controversial end to one of the most absorbing matches ever seen at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Asked by Indian journalists about Australia's tactics, Kumble echoed something similar to the immortal line used by the Australian captain Bill Woodfull during the 1932-33 Bodyline series against England [Images].

"Only one team was playing with the spirit of the game," Kumble said.

He also said he was prevented from elaborating on his specific complaints about the Australian players but indicated he was upset at the refusal of their batsmen to walk when they were clearly out.

The Indians were on the wrong end of a number of bad umpiring decisions throughout the course of the match but the most crucial occurred on the first day when Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds [Images] was given not out by West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor.

Symonds, who later admitted he had nicked the ball and should have been sent packing, was on 30 at the time but went on to make 162 not out and help Australia recover from a batting slump to make 463.

"We like to play hard on the field and we expect that from Australia as well," Kumble said.

"I've played my cricket very sincerely and very honestly and that's the approach my team takes on the field and I expect that from the Australians as well."

Kumble also bristled when asked about some of Australia's appeals after Rahul Dravid [Images] was controversially given out, caught behind on the last day when he had failed to make contact with the ball.

"We had decided that we will be honest and when a catch is taken the player says he's taken it, the captain nods his head and the umpire gives him out," Kumble said.

Relations between the teams were already strained after Ponting lodged a complaint about Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh [Images] for allegedly making a racist comment to Symonds, but the Australian skipper denied there was any lingering bad blood between the sides.

"(I have) Absolutely no doubt about this match being played in the right spirit," Ponting said.

Kumble did admit his team had batted poorly on the last day, collapsing to be all out for 210 when they needed to bat through the day to salvage a draw.

However, he insisted his team still did not deserve to lose.

"The fair result would have been a draw," he said.

"It's tough when you've played all forms of cricket over the last 25 years and end up on the losing side like this."

He added: "We could have probably showed a bit more fight and we could have saved the game."

"Only one team was playing with the spirit of the game," Kumble said.