Andrew Symonds

Calcutta: Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has slammed the Australian culture of aggression and said that Ricky Ponting and Co. have no right to cry foul over on-field abuse since they have dished out worse treatment to teams over the years.

In his column for The Daily Telegraph, the former opener said Andrew Symonds deserved the lack of sympathy being shown to him.

“I can’t help noticing what a resounding lack of sympathy there has been around the world and even in Australia for Symonds and his sad little protestations of racial abuse.

“So Harbhajan Singh called him a monkey. So what? The Aussies have been dishing out far worse for years, as anyone in the cricket world will tell you.”

Boycott said Australia could not pose as if it was their right to lord it over every opposition.

“For some reason, the Australian team think it’s their right to lord it over every opposition team, to disparage them and mock them. Yes, Australia are the world champions. Yes, they’re an exceptionally talented and consistent side. But that doesn’t give them the right to behave like gods who are outside the normal standards of behaviour.”

Boycott said that Cricket Australia should tell the players to cut out the nonsense.

“…They should keep a closer eye on their team all the time, and not just when there is a nasty scene that makes the news. The administrators must have known that their players were developing a reputation for abusive language.”

Boycott said the Australians should have realised that sooner or later they would be paid back in their own coin.

“If you keep abusing people, sooner or later someone is going to turn around and talk back to you. My message to Symonds — and to his captain Ricky Ponting, who reported Harbhajan to the umpires — is ‘Don’t be a cry-baby’. If you dish it out, you’ve got to be prepared to take it in return, and not go running to teacher.”

He said he wasn’t surprised to hear that the Indians had threatened to call off the tour.

“Frankly, I’m not surprised that the Indians threatened to call off the tour. They see this whole affair as a slur on their country. You’ve got to remember how big the cricket team is over there: they are at the heart and soul of India’s national identity.

“And cricket still has these long-standing associations with sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, though I wonder how they have survived with everything that’s been going on.”