Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee feels the Sydney Test furore that almost derailed India's cricket tour Down Under was a result of "contentious umpiring" and the world champions' much-cricticised behaviour was in no way responsible for the controversy.
In an e-mail interview with PTI from Adelaide, Lee emphasised that the nail-biting finish of the Test added to the bitterness that was also attributed to Australian players' "win at all costs" aggressive attitude.
It required peace talks, brokered by the ICC, between rival captains Ricky Ponting and Anil Kumble to diffuse the spiralling tension.
"Whilst I don't feel we conducted ourselves poorly, the closeness of the match coupled with a few contentious umpiring decisions magnified the issues and these may have a been 'the straw that broke the camel's back'. Hence, it snowballed into a crisis," Lee asserted.
West Indian veteran Steve Bucknor, who stood along with Englishman Mark Benson in the ill-tempered match, was subsequently sacked from the series after India's complaint against his poor umpiring.
Lee felt the acrimonious episode still had a few positives to offer as it made the two teams more understanding of each other.
"The aftermath of the Sydney Test was disappointing. If I can see a positive out of it I am sure the two teams have more of an appreciation of (each other's) cultures," he pointed out.
