Cricket Australia said on Tuesday it would investigate reports of rude behaviour by the Australian team after its Champions Trophy win in India last weekend.
Ricky Ponting’s men were taken to task in Indian newspapers on Tuesday for pushing Indian cricket chief Sharad Pawar off the presentation dais after Australia’s eight-wicket win over the West Indies in Sunday’s final in Mumbai.
The Australians arrived home on Tuesday to prepare for this month’s home Ashes series with England.
Cricket Australia (CA) spokesperson Peter Young said the organisation would investigate the claims this week.
”The players have only just arrived back in Australia and over the course of the next few days we will just be finding out what, if anything, did or did not happen,” he said.
Young said the players were thrilled to have won the biennial tournament.
”It is a bit of a holy grail because it was the only trophy in world cricket they had not won,” he said.
Young said the players had talked about the importance of respect for players and officials at the pre-Ashes boot camp in August.
Indian newspapers on Tuesday front-paged pictures of Australian batsman Damien Martyn pushing Pawar with his right hand, urging him to get off the stage so the team could pose with the trophy.
The picture in the Indian Express came under the headline: ”This is how champions behave when they get the trophy.”
The Times of India added: ”They are supposed to be aggressive, even rude on the field. On Sunday, Australia showed they are not exactly polite off it too.”
Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, who usually prefers to stay silent on most controversial matters, also took a swipe at the Aussies.
”I was not watching the proceedings, but from what I heard it was unpleasant and uncalled for,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying at a sponsors’ function in Mumbai on Monday.
”Firstly, it should never have happened. It’s important to show respect to a person who is so dear to the cricketers and is involved with cricket.
”Such incidents should be avoided.”
Martyn and Ponting were unable to be reached for comment late on Tuesday, while Martyn’s management said it was unaware of the incident. – Sapa-AFP