Gavaskar criticised for comments

Former New Zealand captain John Reid has lambasted Sunil Gavaskar for his comments against white Match Referees and demanded an action from the International Cricket Council (ICC) against the Indian batting great.

Reid was angered by Gavaskar's column in which the former India captain questioned decisions by the white Match Referees.

Gavaskar was miffed with the sub-standard umpiring in the Sydney Test and he criticised Match Referee Mike Procter for ignoring the Indian players and going by the words of the Australian cricketers before slapping a three-match ban on Harbhajan Singh in the racism row.

Reid, who himself was an ICC Match Referee for a decade, was not amused by Gavaskar's take on white Match Referees and he felt the former opener had no business heading the ICC Cricket Committee.

"That's a shocker," Reid said of the column in which Gavaskar lashed out at Procter.

"He (Gavaskar) should decide who he's working for. In his position he's not supposed to be on any side. He's supposed to be neutral," Reid was quoted as saying by The Australian.

Reid also found a supporter in former South Africa batsman Barry Richards, who said he was "staggered" by Gavaskar's comments.

Richards also alleged that Gavaskar had once labelled him "racist" only because he had criticised the Indian batting order in a column.

"He wrote a letter to (South African broadcaster) Supersport demanding that I be sacked because I was a racist. I don't know why this (race) card is played all the time. It is fragmenting the cricket world," he said.