Australian media slams Ganguly for delaying tactics in 'farcical draw'

Intentionally or inadvertently, Sourav Ganguly continues to rub Australians the wrong way and the media here poured vitriol on the former
India skipper, accusing him of indulging in delaying tactics to ensure the Bangalore Test ended in a draw. The popular belief here is that Australia were destined to win the Bangalore Test but the existing light rule, coupled with Ganguly's delaying tactics, denied Ricky Ponting's men victory in the first of the four-match Test series. A member of the 'National Nine News' sports team took a potshot at anyone and everyone but was particularly harsh on Ganguly, whom he described as a "serial offender". "Serial offender Sourav Ganguly firstly persuaded the umpires to go off. Then when play resumed, Ganguly made Australia's fielders and partner VVS Laxman wait an eternity because he'd apparently 'forgotten to put his thigh pad on'. "Please! Can't you be timed out in this game?" he wrote. According to him, the spectators were the obvious losers in the entire exercise. "The players got something out of it. Pedantic officials got their moment of the glory. But billions of fans and more importantly -- the game itself -- got nothing out of this farcical finish in Bangalore," he remarked. Criticising umpire Asad Rauf and Rudy Koertzen, the writer said, "With the match in the balance, a crucial hour's play on the final day was lost, with not one, but two stoppages for bad light -- when at times the sun was shining! "Umpires strutted about like Emperor Penguins, holding out their light metres -- a device that like performance enhancing drugs should be banned." Asserting that such finishes would do no good to the game, he went on to say, "If Test cricket continues to produce farcical finishes like this one in Bangalore, this great game's Bradmans, Gavaskars, Tendulkars and Pontings will also be soon forgotten... Even by their mothers-in-law!" Meanwhile, a 'Fox Sports' cricket commentator went on to demand amendments in International Cricket Council's existing light rules. "I thought the light was fine and they really need to change the rules regarding that aspect of the game," he said. "There has to be some pressure placed on the ICC over this as there was no danger at all out there. I'm standing out here half an hour after play has finished, and while it's getting a bit dark now, it was fine half an hour ago and they first came off several hours ago. People come to the ground to watch Test cricket and the light was pretty good and not dangerous at all," he asserted. 'Fox Sports' also invited readers to comment whether poor light should be allowed to influence the outcome of a game and whether India played the match in the right spirit.

indiatimes.com