We haven't heard racism: Lank
By Nabila Ahmed
February 4, 2006
SRI LANKA has denied reports of racial abuse from Australian fans this summer, claiming none of its players had been subjected to racist taunts.
As the executive committee of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board prepared to discuss the issue last night and decide whether to lodge an official complaint to the International Cricket Council, the team's manager in Australia, Michael Tissera, dismissed reports that his players had been racially abused.
"We've had no problem with racism at all," Tissera said yesterday. "None of our players have complained to me. I have asked them specifically about racist comments and they have not complained to me."
He said the team was not aware of the five people who were evicted from the Adelaide Oval on Australia Day for calling them "black c----" and did not have a problem with the fan who blackened his face and wrote "no-ball" across his chest this week in Perth during Sri Lanka's loss to South Africa, prompting off-spinner Muthiah Muralidaran to respond with a raised middle finger.
"We're pretty annoyed that a few have just gone on and on and on taunting Murali with 'no-ball' calls until he had to do something that's not very nice. But we haven't put any racist slant to that whole thing," he said.
"If a fellow wants to blacken his face, that doesn't bother us as long as he does not say racist things. Our players have not heard any comments."
Tissera said match referee Jeff Crowe had been in touch with him about Muralidaran's gesture to the crowd, which was captured by a photographer in Western Australia, but he did not know whether the ICC would lay any charges.
"As far as Murali is concerned, that's something between him and the match referee. He (Crowe) just mentioned to me about this thing about Murali's picture and I've told him what it was about and that's it," he said.
