Dubai: Dubai-based cricket enthusiast and businessman Shyam Bhatia, who is in Cape Town to watch the ongoing South Africa-Australia Test match, termed the ball-tampering incident as the most disgraceful act in a Test match.
Speaking to Gulf News from Cape Town, Bhatia, who has watched all the Cricket World Cups and witnessed many glorious moments of the game, said: “This is the most disgraceful act that I had witnessed and I felt sad especially after having watched most of the great moments in cricket.”
Bhatia went on to describe the atmosphere at the stadium. “Australians were booed when they went out to field today. It is unbelievable that Australians could indulge in such an unsporting act to win a game. On the boundary line, some of the spectators were seen requesting Australians for autograph on sand paper to further humiliate the Australians.”
Bhatia flew into Cape Town to donate cricket kit to the needy boys and girls in the Black townships as part of Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care Foundation that donates cricket kits around the world to spread the game.
“I was with the commentators Michael Holding, Graeme Smith, Shaun Pollock, Kepler Wessels and Shane Warne for an evening dinner after the match yesterday and all of them were very angry and expressed sadness over the incident.”
Ray Mali, the former president of the International Cricket Council, who was seated next to Bhatia in the presidential box during the fourth day of the match, told Bhatia: “This is unacceptable and disgraceful. I feel ICC should tighten the rules and regulations on this type of incidents.”
Bhatia, who has watched some of Smith’s great knocks around the world and witnessed many Australian victories, said: “I cannot believe that they could do such an act. It wasn’t village cricket which they were playing. The ICC should take severe action against any player or players involved. I am great believer of fair game and I believe it pays in the long run in life.”
