Harbhajan ban lifted

29 January 2008

Harbhajan Singh was cleared of making racist comments in the Sydney Test © Getty Images

India’s Harbhajan Singh has been cleared of making racist comments and had his three-Test ban overturned by the International Cricket Council.

Harbhajan was accused of calling Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds a “monkey” during the second Test in Sydney.

However, after a day-long appeal at the Federal Court in Adelaide - heard by ICC appeals commissioner Justice John Hansen - the charge was downgraded to one of using abusive language, a level two offence.

Harbhajan pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and was fined 50 per cent of his match fee.

Prior to the appeal hearing a letter signed by all the players involved – from both Australia and India – was tendered into evidence as an agreed statement of facts as to what took place during the Sydney Test.

Match umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor brought the charge against Harbhajan under section 3.3 of the ICC code of conduct after receiving a complaint from Australia captain Ricky Ponting on day three of the Sydney Test when he was batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar.

When Harbhajan’s original suspension was announced the BCCI threatened to cancel the rest of the tour unless the charges were dropped.

They later withdrew the threat and agreed to finish the Test series after the ICC removed West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor and allowed Harbhajan to complete the series until his appeal had been heard.

Both teams will head to Melbourne for the Twenty20 international on Friday which is expected to be played out in front of 90,000 fans at the MCG.

The Commonwealth Bank Series, a triangular one-day tournament which also involves Sri Lanka, gets under way on Sunday with India and Australia clashing at the Gabba.