You can get away with murder but not illegal parking or shoplifting. That seems to be International Cricket Council's (ICC) philosophy when it comes to applying its rules for dissent.
Brian Lara, the West Indian captain, was an obvious candidate for censure by match referee Jeff Crowe after the way he behaved during the controversy following Darren Ganga's catch to 'dismiss' Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the fourth of the drawn first Test.
At one stage, with tempers running high, he snatched the ball away from umpire Asad Rauf and went about setting the field to resume play. But everything was sorted out amicably later that day, after a meeting between captains, umpires and match referee.
Since the incident raised so many unpleasant questions, about the role of the third umpire, about the inadequacy of television replays, about the spirit of the game, it was much simpler for the authorities to sweep everything under the carpet and pretend it never happened.
So much simpler it was to show how much they value discipline by throwing the book at Virender Sehwag.
{{/usCountry}}So much simpler it was to show how much they value discipline by throwing the book at Virender Sehwag.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian opener has been fined 20 percent of his match fee for violating ICC's code of conduct.
Bowling his off-spinners, Sehwag got rid of Dwayne Bravo just after tea, a vital wicket as India chased victory. In his exuberance, he ran down the wicket celebrating, instead of turning towards the umpire and appealing.
No doubt, Sehwag's action violated the code of conduct and the ruling cannot be disputed. But it smacks of double standards.