Hayden charged for Harbhajan dig
The Australian labels Indian offspinner an “obnoxious weed”.
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| Harbhajan Singh: A unlikely unpopular figure in Australia [GALLO/GETTY] |
Australian opener Matthew Hayden has been charged with breaching Cricket Australia’s code of conduct for calling India offspinner Harbhajan Singh an “obnoxious weed” during a radio interview.
Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young said Hayden broke the code of behavior “which prohibits detrimental public comment.”
“Rule guidelines prohibit public denigration of other players against whom they have or will play,” Young said in a statement.
A Code of Conduct commissioner was to be appointed to hear the charge against Hayden, a day after the 36-year-old batsman was voted Australia’s limited-overs player of the year.
Hayden and Harbhajan have had a running feud which escalated during the second test in Sydney last month, when the India spinner was accused of making racist remarks to Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds.
Hayden was a witness in the first hearing against Harbhajan, which resulted in a four test ban.
The ban was later overturned on appeal, after reports India would boycott the rest of the tour if it was upheld, and Harbhajan was fined a portion of his match fee instead.
‘Mad boy’
Hayden and Harbhajan were at odds again on Sunday, when the Indian team accused the 94-test veteran of calling the offspinner “mad boy.”
In an interview on Brisbane radio on Tuesday, Hayden acknowledged he’d had “a bit of a long battle with Harbhajan.”
“The first time I ever met him he was the same little obnoxious weed that he is now,” he was quoted saying.
“There is a certain line that you can kind of go to and then you know where you push it, and he just pushes it all the time.
“That’s why he has been charged more than anyone that’s ever played in the history of cricket.”