Cricket notes

"The thing that pisses us off is that it shows how much power India has ... the players are frustrated because this shows how much influence India has, because of the wealth they generate. Money talks."
An unnamed Australian player quoted in a Sydney newspaper in the aftermath of the decision to reduce the charges levelled against Harbhajan Singh

Courtesy: cricinfo

I still don't get it. What does money got to do with this? This is a straight forward "he says she says" case and unless one has conclusive evidence it is difficult to prove these cases. It was stupid of Mike Procter to ban Harbhajan based on hearing just one side of the story and any fair judge will throw the case out. This is what happened here.

A free advise for Harbhajan - Shut your mouth and try to pick up wickets.

There were multiple occasions in the past when Indian players have got the wrong treatment from match referees including Mike Procter. ICC must revamp the system (umpiring, rules, technology, match referees, etc.) completely to improve the game.

Oh by the way, the unnamed Australian would be one of the first players to sign up for IPL to earn big money. Just a hunch! Not that there is anything wrong with that.

One other quote caught my attention ...

"And when John Buchanan was in charge ... let me tell you, we needed as much common sense around as we could, because I believe the coach had none."
Shane Warne, in a tribute to Adam Gilchrist, can't resist another dig at his former coach

Seriously, John Buchanan must have ratted Shane Warne (antics/sexcapades/text messages) to his ex-wife to earn this wrath. Warne has been consistent in digging his former coach at every given opportunity.