NEW DELHI, Jan 7: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram blasted Australia’s cricketers over the recent ‘racism’ row that threatened to bring a premature end to India’s tour Down Under.

The BCCI has threatened to halt the tour after Harbhajan Singh was handed a three-match ban for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds and Wasim feels hosts Aussies are guilty of double standards.

He told Hindustan Times: “I have played a large part of my cricket against the Aussies. Sometimes they said some nasty stuff, sometimes we did and then we moved on. We did not behave like cry babies and drag it to the officials.

“They do it constantly and much more than anyone else. So how they can go out and complain about other teams?” said the all-rounder.

But Glenn McGrath has defended his former Australia team-mates against claims from Indian captain Anil Kumble that they played outside the spirit of the game.

McGrath, who is making a Twenty20 comeback for New South Wales on Tuesday, also backed the integrity of Ricky Ponting while supporting Australia for their “hard and fair” attitude.

“Anil’s a great guy and quite reserved so I find it quite surprising that he would come out and say that [about the spirit of the game],” McGrath said. “From an Australian point of view, I know the way the guys play and I have total respect for every guy that pulls on a baggy green. The Australians play it hard and fair.”

McGrath said there was “definitely not” any doubt over Ponting’s adherence to the rules.

“If they want to look at his integrity they only need to look at the first innings,” McGrath said. “That catch, he could have caught it, but he was unsure and he said it – end of story. I saw the replay and to me, they showed it flicked the glove, he dived back, caught it, and was well in control of the ball.”

He said the match officials needed greater support. He called for the international panel of umpires to be expanded from its current collection of eight. “Umpires have a tough thing to do,” he said. “There’s only eight on the panel, there should be more. At the end of the day they call it the way they see it, which is the way it’s always been.—Agencies