England's victory in the final Test match will no doubt make them feel that all is not lost with their cricket. It would even encourage some in the media there to suggest that with a bit of luck they could have won the series. The big discussion, though, would be about the forfeiting of the South African innings that allowed England the opportunity to win the game in the last over of the match. Declarations are made by captains to take advantage of the situation for their side, though it is hard to understand how the South African captain expected in the absence of Allan Donald to dismiss England in the overs left. England haven't exactly distinguished themselves on this trip, but they improved and it would have taken an extraordinary effort to lose the game. There is an incredibly stupid desire on the part of many overseas players to try and get kudos from the English media and the authorities and it must be said that some of the most lucrative contracts for cricket are in England and a lot of effort is therefore made to keep the English happy. If the same forfeiture had been made by a team from the sub-continent, there would have been a big uproar and shouts of the match being fixed would have come from the same media which will now heap kudos on Hansie Cronje for keeping the game alive. It was much the same reaction when Pakistan lost to Bangladesh and allegations were made about the game being fixed while not a word was said when South Africa lost to their neighbours Zimbabwe. It is these double standards that are the problem and the sooner the so-called developed world realises that they do not have a monopoly on integrity the better it will be. If that was the case should we not have a completely crime-free society in a developed country? Since that is hardly the case the sooner they realise the danger in pointing a finger at others the better, for the time to turn the other cheek is long gone. The reactions in India after the current series about the Australian umpiring was simply because the cricket lovers saw for themselves what was happening and realised what the Indian teams are faced with. This has been the story for a long time but has not been told, because the people who covered the games were happy not to upset the Australian and the English establishment. And the media from overseas were allowed to get away by propagating the myth that it was the Indian umpiring and not the Indian team that was the main reason for their defeat. True the Australians have been quite the superior side, but there was a time in the first Test before those decisions that India were in a position from where the game could have been balanced. And here one is not talking about those that went against our batsmen but those that our bowlers had to suffer which allowed the Australians to recover. All these decisions come when the match is delicately poised and helps to tilt the balance the other way. It has happened in the past and not just this tour but the top technical TV coverage has made people aware now, and thank god for it. That is the only sub-standard factor of Australian cricket. The facilities at the ground for the spectators and for the players are undoubtedly unsurpassed anywhere in the world. The thoughts of the captain and the coach of the Indian team regarding the schedule and the travelling involved should make the Board realise that there needs to be an input from them in future scheduling and programming. PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT GROUP