ICC asks players to take note of Harbhajan row

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has urged players to learn from the row over Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and improve their on-field behaviour.

Harbhajan was fined half his match fee for verbal abuse of Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during this month's Sydney Test after the ICC appeals commissioner dismissed charges of racial abuse and revoked a three-Test ban by match referee Mike Procter.

"One thing that has come out of this is the need for players to review their on-field behaviour," ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said in a statement on Wednesday.

"In this case, it is clear that Harbhajan verbally abused an opponent having been provoked to do so by that opponent. This is not acceptable behaviour on the cricket field. I expect all players to use this was a wake-up call that on-field behaviour must improve."

The Indian board threatened to pull out of the tour if the racial abuse charge was upheld. Australian media have attacked the wealthy Indian board for flexing their power and criticised the ICC for giving in to pressure.

ICC appeals commissioner, New Zealand High Court judge John Hansen, blamed administrative error for the spinner escaping a possible ban.

Hansen said the ICC informed him of one prior offence only the spinner but discovered after handing down his verdict that Harbhajan had been penalised on four previous occasions.

"At the end of the day Mr Singh can feel himself fortunate that he has reaped the benefit of these database and human errors," he wrote in his judgment.

Speed said: "It is very unfortunate that human error led to Justice Hansen not having the full history of Harbhajan's previous Code of Conduct breaches and the ICC accepts responsibility for this mistake."

He defended Procter's initial verdict, which outraged the Indian camp.

"The fact the charge was downgraded from a level 3.3 to Level 2.8 is not a reflection on the process or Mr Procter's original finding," Speed said.

Speed said the issues which arose from the controversy would be taken up with the Indian and Australian boards and a paper placed before the ICC board for action.