MELBOURNE, Feb 27: Australia batsman Matthew Hayden was reprimanded by his national board on Wednesday after describing Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh as an “obnoxious weed”.

Hayden was found guilty after a three-hour hearing here of breaching Cricket Australia’s (CA) strict code of behaviour for publicly denigrating an opponent.

The 36-year-old had faced the possibility of a ban or a fine but escaped with a warning after saying his comments were not intended to be offensive.

“I maintain my innocence, my intentions were never to denigrate cricket or anyone,” Hayden said in a statement after the hearing.

“But the umpire has made his decision...and in the spirit of cricket I respect and accept the decision.”

The charges were laid after Indian officials lodged a formal complaint over Hayden’s comments, which included a light-hearted challenge for teenage fast bowler Ishant Sharma to join him in the boxing ring.

“We condemn such comments by the Australian players,” the Indian board’s chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty, said.

“Our secretary has already communicated our feelings to Cricket Australia. We’ve advised our players to show restraint but despite that if such comments are being made it is really unfair.”

Hayden delivered the verbal attack during an interview with a Brisbane radio station, claiming the Australian players were fed up with being painted as the instigators in their bitter public feud with the tourists.

Three Indian players, including Harbhajan and Sharma, have been found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct during the ill-tempered tour but maintain the Australians provoked them.

Hayden said his dispute with Harbhajan dated back long before this series but claimed the reason the Indians were complaining so much on this tour was because “they are losing every game they are playing”.

“It’s been a bit of a long battle with Harbhajan. The first time I ever met him he was the same little obnoxious weed that he is now,” Hayden told the radio station.

“His record speaks for itself in cricket. There is a certain line that you can kind of go to and then you know where you push it and he just pushes it all the time.

“That’s why he has been charged more than anyone that’s ever played in the history of cricket.”

Harbhajan wasted little time firing back at Hayden, saying the Australian was disliked by most international opponents and his comments were borne out of the frustration the Australians felt at being pushed by an improving Indian team.

“Maybe they realise that they no longer are the undisputed champions of the world. Maybe they feel the crown is slipping,” Harbhajan told the Indian news agency PTI.

“Otherwise, why would a cricket veteran ask a 19-year-old to join him in a ring?

“I don’t want it to be a slanging match ... but you only need to speak to international cricketers and international teams to know in what opinion they hold Hayden.”—Reuters