Behave Boys... you're on show to the world!

Aussie cricketers 'rude' on podium
Tuesday Nov 7 21:11 AEDT
The Australian cricket team has been labelled "rude and arrogant" by the
Indian media for allegedly pushing aside the Indian board president on the
Champions Trophy victory podium.

Ricky Ponting's men were taken to task for pushing Indian cricket chief
Sharad Pawar off the presentation dais on Sunday after claiming the only
trophy in world cricket that had eluded them.

The world No.1 side arrived back home on Tuesday morning and CA spokesman
Peter Young said it would investigate the issue in the coming days.

Ponting, visibly impatient after the long presentation ceremony, reportedly
gestured towards Pawar with his forefinger, asking him to quickly give away
the trophy.

Indian newspapers had front-page pictures of batsman Damien Martyn appearing
to gently push Pawar out of shot with his right hand, so the team could pose
with the trophy in front of photographers.

The picture in the Indian Express came under the headline: "This is how
champions behave when they get the trophy."

The Times of India added: "They are supposed to be aggressive, even rude on
the field. On Sunday, Australia showed they are not exactly polite off it
too."

India's chief cricket selector Dilip Vengsarkar added: "You expect such
behaviour from uneducated people. If they wanted to pose for photographs,
they could have politely requested him.

"This is appalling."

Even India's little master Sachin Tendulkar, not prone to controversial
comments, took a swipe at the Aussies.

"I was not watching the proceedings but from what I heard, it was unpleasant
and uncalled for," Tendulkar said.

"Firstly, it should never have happened. It's important to show respect to a
person who is so dear to the cricketers and is involved with cricket. Such
incidents should be avoided."

The Australian side has been respected but far from universally loved by the
rest of the cricketing world over the past decade.

The side has dominated the sport since toppling the West Indies in 1995 but
its intimidating and aggressive on-field behaviour has won few fans.

Young said the players were thrilled to have won the biennial tournament and
had now returned to their respective states before the build-up to this
month's Ashes series.

"I do know the Australian players were very excited to win the trophy," he
said.

"It is a bit of a holy grail because it was the only trophy in world cricket
they had not won."

Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah described the incident as
"unintentional," but added: "Anyway, you know how players are once they get
on the cricket field. They seem to leave good sense behind."

Pawar laughed off the incident.

"It was a small thing, a stupid thing," Pawar was quoted as saying in the
Hindustan Times.

"I don't want to react."

Young said the players had talked about the importance of respect for
players and officials at the pre-Ashes boot camp in August.

"The players have only just arrived back in Australia and over the course of
the next few days we will just be finding out what, if anything, did or did
not happen," he said.

Martyn and Ponting were unable to be reached while Martyn's management was
unaware of the incident.

The national squad reassembles in Brisbane on November 18 before the opening
Ashes Test starting November 23 at the Gabba.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was also present on the stage,
later weighed into the debate saying he was "hurt" by the incident and was
"not amused" when another Australian player greeted Pawar with "hiya buddy."

"I am not amused by one of the Australian players who said `hiya buddy' when
he went up to receive his medallion from Mr Pawar," the legendary opener
told the Mumbai-based Mid-Day newspaper.

"Just receive it quietly. You are not in your country. In India, we respect
our elders.

"Certain decorum has to be maintained, you have to show respect. Would they
have done such a thing to their prime minister?"

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=99948