Melbourne, Feb.27 (ANI): Cricket Australia has charged Matthew Hayden for breaching its code of conduct when he referred to Harbhajan Singh as an "obnoxious weed" on a Brisbane radio station interview on Tuesday.
A media release issued by CA said Hayden was charged under Rule 9 of CA's Code of Behaviour, which prohibits detrimental public comment. CA will appoint a Code of Conduct Commissioner from its panel and convene a hearing at 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Earlier CA had assured the Indian cricket board that it would investigate Hayden's remarks.
"Mr Sutherland [the Cricket Australia chief executive] wrote to me that he is aware of the comment and is dealing with it," Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary told Cricinfo.
Shah has asked the Indian team manager Vimal Soni not to react to Hayden's comments.
Harbahjan was quoted by a news agency as saying he did not want a slanging match over the issue.
"Maybe they [Australians] realise they no longer are the undisputed champions of the world. Maybe they feel the crown is slipping. Otherwise, why would a cricket veteran [Hayden] ask a 19-year-old [Ishant Sharma] to join him in a ring? You only need to speak to international cricketers and international teams to know in what opinion they hold Hayden," Harbhajan said.
Hayden and Harbhajan clashed during Sunday's CB Series game between the two sides and the Indian team later complained that Hayden had called Harbhajan a "mad boy".
Clarifying, Hayden told the radio station: "I called him a bad boy."
He also said: "It's been a bit of a long battle with Harbhajan, the first time I ever met him he was the same little obnoxious weed that he is now. His record speaks for itself in cricket."
Later, Cricket Australia let off Australian opener Matthew Hayden with a warning not to indulge in "detrimental public conduct" against rival players after Hayden apologised for his "obnoxious weed" comment on Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
The hearing was held at Cricket Australia's Jolimont headquarters in Melbourne from 8 p.m. local time. It was presided over by code of conduct commissioner Ron Beazley.
Unlike verbal barbs directed on the field - an ICC portfolio - Hayden's decision to air his views in a radio interview, which was picked up and run with by national newspapers this morning, left him open to sanction by Cricket Australia.
The charge fell under Rule 9 of the CA Code of Behaviour, which prohibits "detrimental public comment".
"Rule guidelines prohibit public denigration of other players against whom they have or will play," CA public affairs manager Peter Young said.
Hayden's hearing occurred at least partly because of Indian reaction to his comment.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressed its displeasure over Hayden's remarks and had lodged a protest with CA.
"We condemn such comments by the Australian players," Indian board's chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty told a foreign news agency.
"Our secretary has already communicated our feelings to Cricket Australia. We've advised our players to show restraint, but despite that if such comments are being made it is really unfair. CA have said they will look into this and let us hope there is some communication on this," added Shetty.
Indian team manager Bimal Soni said the players did not want to publicly respond to Hayden's comments, but added that the team's stance on Australians unwarranted sledging had been proved beyond doubt.
Earlier, Harbhajan Singh reacted by saying that Hayden's comment on him was indication of Australia slipping from its championship pedestal, a position it has claimed since 1995. (ANI)
