March 09, 2008	Sunday	Safar 30, 1429

SYDNEY, March 8: Cricket Australia (CA) has finally abandoned diplomacy and demanded that India discipline Harbhajan Singh for his latest outburst in an increasingly tiresome feud, after the spinner questioned the credibility of Matthew Hayden and the ethics of Adam Gilchrist.

CA chief executive James Sutherland on Friday wrote to BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah expressing exasperation with the controversial spinner. “Enough is enough,” Sutherland wrote.

“Despite assurances that you have instructed him not to fuel this issue any more, Harbhajan continues to say whatever he wants. When will it ever end? Could you please deal with your player in regard to these comments.”

Cricket Australia was quick to deal with Hayden when he called Harbhajan “a little obnoxious weed” in a radio interview, and believes the Indian spinner has not been held to the same standards.

CA previously had refrained from publicly expressing its frustrations about Harbhajan but had held private discussions with the Indian board, and received assurances that its problem child would be counselled.

“We’ve tried over the summer to get the balance right in the way controversial comment has been managed and we certainly, through our actions with Matthew Hayden, been firm with our own players in terms of where the tipping point is,” a CA spokesman said.—Agencies