Dear Mr Waugh, I agree that it is definitely not your fault that the pitch was tampered with. But you should not have said that it was an honest mistake because you have no proof of it. You also have no proof that this has not affected the outcome of the match. I am sure you would not have made those statements had the same thing happenned in India.
What else can we expect from these people .... If this happened in India.... those chicken australians would have cribbed and cribbed about how we tampered with the pitches and they lost.. As it is, their best players never turn up in India and hence they lose. Strange injuries seem to occur to them just before an Indian tour such as a Little Finger Sprain for Warne or a backside muscle pull for Brett Lee etc... etc. When will they learn that India is a much better team than them and that their winning streak was due to a collosal piece of luck going their way. Their true colours were shown in the last trip to India when they were thrashed from a winning position, even with their best batting line-up and their best bowlers.
I am proud of the way our team has played so far and there is no shame for them in this defeat where Australia played with a 13 man.. sorry 14 man team (11 + 2 umpires + 1 ground curator). Hayden was out so many times and was never given out and Akash Chopra was given out unfairly...
so best of luck Australia. Even if you win this series.. we Indians know how you did it....
If the same thing has happened in India and our captain tells it is a honest mistake would everyone react the same way. I find it utter nonsense for Waugh to say this. He would go ahead and defend a curator who he hardly knows. However, when Sachin's ball tampering conterversy came, He would make a statement that "No one is above the law". He could have made the same statement on this occasion also, considering the fact that he did not have first hand evidence in both cases.
The issue here is not whether or not the pitch TAMPERING would have affected the course of the match.
Law 7 (4) clearly states "The pitch shall not be changed during the match unless the umpires decide that it is unreasonable or dangerous for play to continue on it and then only with the consent of both captains.".
Moreover I want to know what stand would have been taken if the same thing had been done in tghe sub-continent?? The foreign media (and also the home media) would have been baying for the curator's blood and called Indians, Pakistanis, Lankans as Cheats and what not??
It is true that the color of one's skin still matters in today's world?? AUSSIE CHEATS!!
all the rules are for India and other asian countries. Being Indian fans, we always smell conspiracies against our Team whenever our team loses. We all were quite sure that the Aussies would make sure that the conditions favor them and which actually did. However, stooping to the extent of pitch tampering is unpardonable. As per the rules the groundsman cannot touch the pitch until he takes prior approval from non functional umpires like MIKE PROCTOR. A Suggestion to MIKE, Please dont think you are a white, u r just an AFRICAN and aussies would tell u so. There is no reason for you to LICK their feets. This man happily slashed Ganguly's match fees in the first test even when he sincerely tried to make up for the time that was lost in the match. I hope Aussies dont tamper with the pitch again coz this time it may backfire on them. Remember Indians are determined.
True if an australian,english,southafrican,newzealander,zimbabwean does it ,then it is an honest mistake,but if it was done by an indian,pakistani,srilankan,bangladeshi,westindian then it would have been a crime which should not go UNPUNISHED and the poor CURATOR would have lost his job,cricketers called names,the cricket board will not support their people and bend down on their knees to ICC. What a justice system??. Somebody just ask Mr Waugh what would he have SAID if this had HAPPENED in INDIA and he was on the loosing side. People choose to be SPORTING only at their convenience.
Had the same thing happened in India, Mike Procter would have reacted differently and the Aussies would have made a hue and cry had they lost the Test match
Dear Mr Waugh The pitch was tampered with or not, will never be proven but you have no right to say that it did not effect the outcome of the match. The fact that you say this makes us wonder wether the pitch was actually tampered with or not???? My question remains, what all would you do for a win????
Thank god it happened in Melbourne. Mike procter thinks its a honest mistake. If it happened in Mumbai or Karachi or Colombo then it would have become a serious issue and ground staff would have been suspended. Goodness Steave doesnt even know about this until the match was finished but the wolrd know what happend before the day started
