New Delhi: The Indian cricket team will continue its tour of Australia “for the present”, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced.
"The BCCI’s working committee took note of relevant circumstances and developments and decided that the Indian team’s tour to Australia should continue for the present,” announced Treasurer N Srinivasan in Delhi at a press conference on Tuesday evening.
The BCCI noted that though the three-Test ban against spinner Harbhajan Singh has been suspended it was "totally unacceptable". It authorised board chief Sharad Pawar to deploy all resources to clear him of the "obnoxious and baseless" racist charge.
"The BCCI will review the tour and all other developments continuously. The BCCI will request the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) appeals commissioner, appointed to hear Harbhajan's appeal, to expeditiously dispose of the appeal", Srinivasan said.
The ICC has told the BCCI that Harbhajan could play till final disposal of his appeal against the ban. "This (stay on the ban) is only an interim arrangement. The BCCI is of the categorical view that the matter will have to be finally resolved and unfair allegation against an Indian player be set aside," he said.
The BCCI’s working committee met for two hours on Tuesday after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced controversial umpire Steve Bucknor was being removed from the Test series and the ban of Harbhajan has been stayed.
Srinivasan said the BCCI appreciated the positive role played by Cricket Australia and the ICC. "The working committee fully and unequivocally endorsed the stand taken by the president and concerned officials with respect to the quality of umpiring and totally uncalled for, unjustified and blatantly illegal ban imposed in Harbhajan Singh by the match referee," he said.
The Indian team, which had been asked to stay put in Sydney, is expected to leave for Canberra on Wednesday morning for practice match.
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