Finally the Indians have got their story straight. Harbhajan didn't tell Andrew Symonds he was a monkey. He made an unflattering comment about Symonds, in Hindi, which just sounded like monkey.
Dear oh dear. They've had the best part of a WEEK to come up with this...
2 comments:
I think this was made clear fairly early on. Mihir Bose (Evening Standard/Guardian)alluded to it a few days after the incident.
Although if this is the case, how on earth Pollock still managed to impose the ban he did, I just dont know...
Yes - I read Mihir Bose on the subject. He said that the Indians were incompetent at the hearing and didn't actually mention the misunderstanding.
Which makes Wickman think it's a convenient "after the fact" excuse. They've had a team of crack lexicographers working through dictionaries in 327 South East Asian dialects looking for something plausible. Finally one young lad rushes in breathless and says:
"Eureka! If Bhaji says he told Symmo that his mummiji was doing unnatural acts with a bison in Hindi that sounds like 'you are big monkey' in English. Job done.'
Wickman can't quite believe that in 3 or more hours Bhaji didn't say "look Mike, I actually insulted his mother in Hindi. It sounds like 'you're a monkey' but it's not. I was talking in a whole different language and that's where the misunderstanding lies". At which point everyone says "ohhhhhhhhh riiiiiiight - well let's say no more about it - poeple have been abusing each other's mothers even before Eddo Brandes told McGrath about the biscuits and his dear old mum".
In this version of events Harbhajan just sat there for hours (and Sachin too) saying "look he didn't call him a monkey" with the Aussies saying "he did, you know or it sounded like it".
If they came up with this explanation in the hearing Mike Proctor would have to be a complete and utter idiot not to be able to resolve it to everyone's satisfaction, knock out a statement saying "it's all a bit unfortunate - it was a rude statement unbecoming of a cricket star of Harbhajan's stature - but everyone has kissed and made up and the Aussies are crowing because they won the game too. Did you see Bucknor's umpiring? It was shocking. Look over there, I saw a Dodo [run lads, run]".
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