Peter Roebuck and Alan Border leapt to Jones’s defence. Their line was that Jones didn’t mean it, couldn’t have meant it because everyone knew that Jones wasn’t a bigot or a racist.

“”This was the same defence that Darren Lehmann mounted when he called the Sri Lankans “black c___s”. It was also the defence used by Jewish friends of Mel Gibson (another man who has spent some growing-up time in Australia) after his anti-Semitic outburst. Mel, they said, ‘wasn’t like that’.

Wasn’t like what? What does a man’s track record have to be before a bigoted comment made by him qualifies as bigotry? It’s unlikely that a television commentator will have prior form or known links with the National Front or the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or a pro-apartheid party. But why should we need more than the evidence of our ears?

Let’s try to set this in a ‘Western’ perspective because Jones’s defenders seem to be having trouble appreciating the vileness of what Jones said in the context of cricket in Sri Lanka. Here’s a hypothetical circumstance. Tiger Woods is playing golf at the US Open. He sinks a putt, there’s a pause and the commentator, thinking he’s in a commercial break, says to his colleague, with the microphones on, “The nigger’s holed another one.” How long do you think that commentator would last on prime time? How many golf correspondents and commentators would characterise his comment as a ‘bit stupid’? And how many people would buy the line that “some of my best friends are…”?

	Jones tried to suggest later that he wasn't referring to Hashim Amla at all © Cricinfo Ltd

The truth is that no American commentator working for a major TV channel would use ‘kike’ or ‘nigger’ or ‘faggot’ with their colleagues around even if they thought the mikes were switched off. Because political correctness, in the best sense of that term, has made these words unsayable. To use these words in polite society is to court ostracism.

Dean Jones said what he did because he thought his colleagues in the box would be amused, because he didn’t think the words he used were taboo. Jones assumed that a remark tossed off like that would pass without challenge or reproach. That’s the real significance of this incident, not the fact that he got caught with the microphones on.

“The terrorist has got another wicket”: this is the casual bigotry of the locker room which assumes that the guys will go along. It’s bigotry founded on an assumption of shared prejudice because you can bet Dean Jones’s last Australian dollar that he wouldn’t have said what he did with Rameez Raja and Imran Khan in the room.

That’s why the eagerly forgiving attitude of his peers is disappointing. They’ve responded like members of a guild, not as professional men looking out for cricket or broadcasting.
…
The reason ‘kike’, ‘faggot’ and ‘nigger’ are taboo today is because public opinion backed up by social sanction made them unsayable. If an Indian commentator was caught calling … a Dalit player a ‘chamar’ he would never work again. Roebuck and Border and cricket’s commentariat seem to think calling a bearded Muslim a ‘terrorist’ doesn’t belong in the same category of proscribed words. Well, it’s up to us to persuade them that it does, through a policy of zero tolerance.

It has been unsubtly suggested in the press that Jones was sacked from Ten Sports because his employers were Muslim. I hope that isn’t true. I’d like to think that ESPN, Star Sports and Zee Sports, regardless of the religious beliefs of their owners would have done the same thing. India is a secular, pluralist nation and sports channels that work out of this country need to make sure that the people they employ respect those ideals.”

Neo Sports must believe that Jones has seen the error of his ways and is therefore fit for public consumption again. Except that he hasn’t and therefore isn’t. After self-serving apologies of the some-of-my-best-friends-are-Muslims sort, Jones tried to suggest that he wasn’t referring to Amla at all.

As Andrew Miller pointed out in Cricinfo earlier this year, ‘Jones was sacked by Ten Sports almost before the utterance had passed his lips, but within the month he was back, denying he'd ever erred. “Amla got the catch, Nicky Boje was the bowler," he wibbled. "I'll leave it up to you to work out who I was referring to." Nice one. Except it had been Pollock bowling at the time.’

A man in denial can’t be contrite. Ergo, Dean Jones shouldn’t be commentating on Indian television.

ICC should have a 'Code of Conduct' for commentators too! When their 'expert' analysis and comments are being heard throughout the world, any bigoted utterance is unacceptable. When a player can bring disrepute to the game and be suspended because of outbursts heard through the stump microphone, why should commentators be let off the hook? After all, their only job is to comment! :)

i agree 100% wid ur comments. If dean jones had accepted what he had said and appologized then it would have been fine because a man who accepts his mistakes is a responsible person who is willing to correct them but the way he denied was just pathetic ... it is indeed sad

Jones made his reply in a way that he couldn't be wrong. "I'll leave it up to you to work out who I was referring to."

Great Article Mukul
I believe racism is everywhere. It is faced by people of all religions and people from all walks off like. It has always existed and it would always exist. These white folks think they are the best and the most elite in world and they show themselves are being kind hearted coz they give out charities etc. You can not imagine the amount of hatred they have for us.

Couldn't agree with you more Mukul. History has borne witness to huge forms of institutional racism, which in no small part were accomplished due to accumulated "small" intransigencies which were largely ignored by the "silent" good in the society.

Absolutely correct Mr. Kesavan, I think if Dean Jones had said, "the nigger" or "the jew," his career would have been over as soon as he uttered those words, this just shows how people in this period of time are more acceptable of such remarks against Muslims while they show zero tolerance when other groups of people are targeted.

We Indians are among the most racist people in the world nor are our sub-continental neighbours any better.
How "fair" a person is, particularly a girl, assumes such critical importance that the skin whitening cream companies have a field day.
So, get off your high horse, Mr. Kesavan, sure Dean Jones made a very inappropriate remark but he has apologies so stop this witch-hunt.

I completely agree with you that we need to have a zero-tolerance policy on racism. But I'm sure you'd agree with me that it has to be both ways. Call it colonial legacy or what you will, but colour of the skin is extremely important to Indians, never mind if they don't admit it. Want proof of this? Go to any matrimonial site! For further proof, look through the archives of CNN-IBN where there was a recent report of the racism Nigerian footballers face in Mumbai.
Not for a moment am I suggesting that Dean Jones was right in making the remark he did, but we need to have a serious look at ourselves before damning others.

I would find it hard to imagine that any sane person would defend Jones's attitude. If he is not racist or bigot, he for sure is ignorant. I would only forgive him if he first checks in a rehab for racists and then spend some time in making a sincere effort to know the subcontinent culture in general and the muslim in particular. That means no mic in his hand for at least couple of years.

he is a fantastic commentator, much better than the others on the show. most of us frankly dont care if he called someone a terrorist it dosnt make a difference to us all we want is a good commentator.

I don't think Jones is a racist or a bigot... but definately ignorant. Quite rightly the ICC should place a code of conduct for TV comentators.

Recent events with Gibbs and then Afridi show that all players have a moment of weakness. These same players go on to become the commentators. Governed by rules while playing, should be the same when they move into the comentary box.

Unfortunately many things can be taken far too sensitively. Somethings simply shouldn't be said. But I don't think there was malice intended in what Jones said, but rather a very poor attempt at humor. Very bad taste humor!

I do believe that since the remark Dean Jones has said "Sorry!" When will anyone ever accept an apology and move on?

Forgiveness is divine.

the original article was really great. when i read that i did not know much about mukul and that probably was the first article of his that i had read.

on the arguments there can be no two ways that mr jones should have nothing to do with the commentary box or cricket at large. it is true that we as a society are racist and castist but then two wrongs don't make it right. we have to speak against him and against racism in our society. let us not get self critical and let him escape.

his apologies are driven more by commercial consideration since the world cup is around the corner and its a good time to make great money. i am not too sure if he is genuinely reformed person.

What applied to Gibbs, should apply to Dean Jones - not in terms of ICC guidelines (as one's under a 'Code of Conduct' other isnt) but in terms of culpability. As Richie Benaud said, if he hadnt said it, it wouldnt have been caught on the mike in Gibbs' case - as simple as that. So 'not meant for the audience' is rubbing it in rather than any sort of a defence

Before you cast Terrorist for a Muslim in the same light you would Nigger for a black American, you should consider that the second is a term that insults based on age old assumptions of racial inferiority. The appelation of Terrorist, on the other hand, is based on an occupation, and it insults by linking all peaceful Muslims to Terrorists (who can be of any stripe). The point being made here is that racism of a classic type, which posits racial inferiority, is more damning than racism of this newer type, which seeks to mar by association. The difference may be slight, but it should be noted. This is not to defend Jones, but ill-judged historical comparisons do service to no one.

Just because a similar remark about "Jews" or "Blacks" might have brought about a different decision, doesnt make that the right one. Jones made a racist joke. That is undeniable. My only concern, with the several million ready to crucify him, is, whether it is a crime only if you say so.

Based on experience with different races, one undeniable realization is the awareness of race at all times. Meaning, while words might not be uttered and people remain 'politically correct', the race factor is inherent. There is no escaping that.

Considering that, a mistake, wherein Dean Jones uttered that remark by mistake rather than malice, deserves a pardon. Just as Jones wouldn't have uttered the comment if Imran Khan was in the commentary box, Imran Khan would never use the word 'gora' if Dean Jones was around. But I personally find it hard to believe that he would have never used it.

Jones was sacked, lost out on his paycheck and has suffered enough public humiliation. We can be sure that he would think twice about uttering a racist joke even in private circles for the rest of his life. Which would indicate that he has been 'rehabilitated'. And that should be the idea of punishment rather than suffering.

Stereotyping based on race is an agreed upon offense. It goes along with stereotyping based on caste, religion, nation etc etc. Each one of us is guilty of one of these offenses. Thus, 'Holier than thou' attitude is best avoided!

Excellent arguments. I initially believed however inappropriate and wrong the remark was, it was only made in a spirit of good-hearted jest, with a satirical poke at the prevailing stereotypes abounding today. That is one way to interpret it. But your reminder about 'casual locker-room bigotry' is eye-opening, and shows that what Jones said in his private moment is indeed a deliberate perpetuation of that stereotype, not intended as irony, but seen instead as harmless and witty. Jones' denial of his intentions is further unacceptable. He must see that such allusions need to be far more tastefully and satirically constructed for their intention even as parody, otherwise they are as racist as any other common racist tirade.

everyone seems to be missing one really important point here - believe it or not "the terrorist" was a "humorous" nickname given to the player by his TEAMMATES.

Put that in context and then decide if Dean Jones is solely to blame here.

c'mon sir! grow up! i agreed with all ur other views ! but not on this, coz thats like crying loud like a child and saying that our neighbour's son bullied me!! We should have the fight in us to stand up and beat them in what ever they are and show them in the field (whatever it be) ratehr than complaining of how we are discriminated. We should be able to stand up on our feet. We should not complain for our benefit. stand up like Champions and luk them in the faces. Thats what we can do. Do u believe that teh force above made them superior when they were born?
No.But we made tehm to be indispensable.
Having said all this i loved the point Jayam made, about the discrimination the upper class in India makes against the lower and downtrodden. First we need to do our Housekeeping , tehn we shall bother about what we discriminated against! right?
I see you to be a reasonable person but donno what made you think liek this.

Mr.Kesavan, you bring very valid points to the table. If Dean Jones intended this to be some sort of a joke, then it was a very sick joke. Dean Jones has been shamed enough for this stupid remark- he had been sacked unceremoniously, forced to apologise publically and personally to the player involved. The matter should end there. Banning him is no solution - Dean Jones is entitled as much as anyone else to do what he likes doing best for his living. Heaping further humilation on him is inappropriate for the kind of offence committed. As an Indian who has worked a lot with the westerners - English, American and Australian - for a decade, I can tell you a large amount of tolerance on both sides goes a long way in removing pre-conceived notions about each other. Dean Jones said something stupid and suffered for it. Period.Let us live, let live and get on with life. There are far larger issues to focus on and Dean Jones should not be made a scapegoat for a much larger malady.

Dean Jones apologised profusely to the world on munerous occasions and to Hashim personally. I agree totally with the previous two posts in saying that Asian people seem to have more issues than any other regarding race, jealousy and disrespect to other nations and races. Get off your high horse and report on the truth of what happened and stop banging on about race...

Great article Mr. Kesavan. Dean Jones should not be commenting. What he said was politically incorrect and the way he tried to defend himself was childish and it just goes further to say that he is not likely to change his mannerisms.

For those, who have urged all of us to take a look at ourselves before we condemn his politically incorrect words, we all are expressing individual opinions here. We do not represent the sub-continental culture, but our own selves. And as far as individually I am sure, I don't subscribe to such bigotry, I can express an opinion against such behaviour.

But neverthless, Dean Jones should not be holding a microphone before at least he decently apologises.

I can't understand why Mukul Kesavan is going out of his way to support muslims. I am glad Deano is back, and I am glad he's come back on an Indian channel.

The word terrorist need not be associated with racism.He can be a terrorist if he creates terror even in cricket field !!! An aggressive cricketer can be terrorist to the opposition.Why not?

Let go guys. Don't focus on trivial issues and let the main crooks go. One Dean Jones saying something stupid on air watched and heard by a few hundred thousand does not do as much damage as the rascals in the corridors of power around the world do with their disguised hatred. Keep your aggro and your action for them rather than for someone who anyway is not known for his cerebral skills nor for verbal repertoire, but for an often childish and inappropriate sense of humour. Besides, let he who has never sinned cast the first stone.

If Azzar cannot comment on cricket because of the zero tolerance policy on betting, Dean Jones has to be picked by the scuff of his color and dragged out of the commentary box. This is because racial slurs are a very bad example.

I am from south africa and i agree with you in some degree, but what if jaques rudolp or boeta dipenaar or gibbs were the player under the helmet? Would there have been any noise about it i dont think so. I think it was what you might call a backhanded compliment to amla's fielding rather than to his race or looks. ever thought about it that way? P.S. I think the whole world is to racially sensitive, you can find racist remarks in almost everything that is said if you look closely enough for it. Sometimes you must look not at what is said but how it is said.

Ok..go ahead and crucify Dean Jones! But that would make us all hypocrites. Can the author claim that he has never said anything prejudiced in his life? Australians are known for their direct approach..it is weaklings like us who are stuck with being politically correct. The basic point is the man has slipped up and he has apologized. It is not like he has gone and shot a muslim player.

What is Mr Kesavan's opinion on Wasim Akram, who not too long ago said he didn't like the ICC because "it is run by all the goras."? Surely a comment like that deserves similar treatment, yet when he was asked, Wasim simply said "Did I say something wrong?" and that was the end of that. A look at some of the other comments from people who have read this blog make me sick, they are just as racist if not more than Mr Jones's remarks, lets not forget Mr Jones said that in jest while these comments were made either out of anger (it sounds to me like hatred). For those of you who think "gora" is not a racist term, think about the context in which the term was used. Its just as racist as someone who says "I hate big corporations, they're run by the jews". I should probably say, "Ergo, Wasim Akram should not speak on western television again", but would the very fact that I have now limited his audience make me racist, or in other words by singling out "western" television audiences am I being racist. Besides the fact that that is logically unsound, it is a narrow point of view, which by its very nature of "protecting the masses" from such commentary, is as dangerous as fundamentalist ideology. Sorry, this was a poor blog, simply cutting and pasting content from a previous piece of work is disappointing, but not half as disappointing as the content itself. I've noticed Mr Kesavan has corrected his mistake of initially crediting Nishi Narayanan with Andrew Miller's review for the year. I'm sure this slip-up won't result in his blog being taken off and brought back later. :)

I want to know if the commentators are also bound by ICC code of conduct, as is the case with players and umpires. Maybe, its time to have an ICC 'Elite Panel of Commentators' with equal representation for all Test playing nations.

As someone said before,the article made me realise the full impact of what Dean Jones said.Dean Jones was joking,off mic,no malice..whatever,but the offense is that he thought it was right to pass such a remark openly.
Sure, one can not be punished for having racist views,one can not be punished just for thinking that kids are fair game for abuse...but when it comes out into the society,it indeed is a menace,and need to be curbed.
The fact is Dean Jones thought it was all right to joke about Muslims being terrorists.He can not be sent to jail or handed fine.But atleast he can be kept off from the living rooms of country with the second largest Muslim population.Imagine the furure if he had said the ''coolie' has another wicket' when Sachin takes a catch!Unless he apologises without ifs buts and figure-it-outs,he should be kept away from TV screens of South Asia.
There is no point saying that India has caste system so it is all right for others to abuse Indians/Asians.One wrong doesn't justify another.

Did Akram say 'he didn't like the ICC' because it was run by goras?I missed that part.He said that it was run by goras and because of it you can not expect it to back the Asian players.Being called white/black is not racist as such,racism gets in when it is deterogatory.Saying 'Tiger Woods is black' doesn't constitute racism.But if you add 'so I don't like him' makes it racist.
I am kind of tired hearing the 'Australians are direct' excuse.XXX are money minded,so it is allright for them to loot your house,YYY are womanizers,so it is allright for them to make passes at your girl...Now are we going there?

Who Let the dogs in..... Mukul. There is a character here called Abey who's taking this off at a tangent. Let him go back to whatever hole he comes from. Stupid comments we can do without.

So you are saying that he should never commentate again?!
Ever heard of forgiveness? I guess not.
What he did was clearly wrong and it will always be in his resume, but why keep kicking him?
Give him another chance, just like how India gave richboy Ganguly another chance.

Mukul,I agree with you totally ,bigotry and rascism exists in this worls and comes up in an agressive manner when one is threatened!

firstly i am australian, secondly im not really a dean jones fan. thirdly DONT YOU EVER DARE COMPARE US TO AMERICANS, nigger is a word used in america in a very derogatory way with a lot of history behind it that aussie and sub continetals only know about through hollywood. the comment jones made is the sort of comment that is said everyday by everyone in australia. 99% of the time the comment is not meant to be racist and it is not always about muslims, we even tell jewish and black jokes. the jewish tell more jewish jokes than the rest of us combined. there are people from all over the world living here and apart from a small minority we get along. if muslims and hindus in india have that much tension between them that they cant take a joke thats very sad. i think the real problem might be that a lot of indians would have heard what dean jones said not taken it as a joke, and agreed with him.
does anyone else think that jones would have said it if amla didnt have such a big beard?

I so completely disagree with you Mr. Kesavan. Racism is everywhere. In India, North Indians crack Southie jokes, the Southies crack Bengali jokes etc etc. So, what's wrong with that? I don't see what Jones did wrong! It's just that Muslims take offence at the drop of their caps and are willing to resort to violence and this causes the rest of us to suddenly become very defensive. Would there be a similar furore if someone cracked a joke about the Amish? I don't think so. Amish jokes are pretty much accepted!

Let's face it. You're just trying to be more pseudo-secular than the norm and that's all. Never compare 'terrorist' to 'nigger'. The historical connotations and the implicit meaning of inferiority in the latter can never be equalled...

I think Asian Block should take a stand against Dean Jones or anyone else who does this sort of thing in Public (we know In Private Its not going to change) if the Mic is On or Off does not matter, ICC plus Cricket Broadcasters Makes 80-90% of their money from subcontinent, If all 4 Asian nations join and make it clear to broadcasters that this kind of behavior is not acceptable, no one will dare try to employ people like Dean Jones who after saying such things on Live TV is still denying It ever happened….Jane Goody is much better then Him at least she owed up to what she said and did.

mr. kesavan you are making a mountain of a mole hill,any body who has listened to deano know that he tries to be too smart sometimes and ends up with mud on his face,i have every reason to believe he sincerly regrets his comments and has unsuccesfully tried to defend them .Amla himself accepted his apology so this is a non issue,i am looking forward to hearing deano's commentary in the world cup,hope sony 'd get him,im tired of hearing arun lal and l.sivaramakrishnan

Without any need whatsoever, Kesavan just had to bring the Vishwa Hindu Parishad into this and equate them with the National Front and pro-apartheid groups. Hindus will therefore find the whole logic and reasoning of the article offensive and reject it as it should be.

Well said Mr. Kesavan, Dean Jones should not have tried to back out of what he said, and deny it. However, I play with a team of Australians here, and know them to be racist bastards, but all in good humor. No one gets along better with other races that the Aussies, I know this from experience, and they do it by being insensitive to the core. Quite frankly, if we can all get past this 'political correctness' bull crap, the world would be a better place to live in. It's only the idiots who still harbor ill will for travesties long since past that want to make a big deal out of nothing. If you can take a little racism, you tend to have a great time, and of course, they take 'convict' in their stride quite well. Else I wouldn't be alive! That being said, Dean Jones should not have claimed he wasn't referring to Amla. That was stupid. Typical Aussie dumbo! Yes, if you publish this comment, it will probably be read by my cricket team, but they will consider it one of the nicer things I have said about them......

I agree with jayam. We Indians don't realize how much racism is ingrained into our psyche. It's a subconscious thing even the best of people indulge in and then forget about it. Take actress Rimi Sen's comment about black Africans. Mukul, you've got to realize that in countries like American and Australia, if someone makes a racist comment, he gets eaten up by the advocates of political correctness. If someone does that in India, it more often than not goes unnoticed. So we don't exactly have the moral high ground on this issue.

I agree with Shanx! Bringing the VHP into this exposes Kesavan's own bias.

I don't see how people bring in race in this issue. I don't know of any "terrorist race". You can not compare the word 'nigger' to 'terrorist' as the word 'nigger' is considered degrading to a particular race for generations. I would consider those who bring in race to this isssue as 'racists' and not Dean Jones as one.

Totally agree with you. Racist bigots should be treated as such. I worry that the Indian public being gullible and foolish and tending to hero-worship will accept Jones and forget what he is. I know that we have bigotry and casteism in India, but two wrongs dont make a right and racist and derogatory comments shouldn't be rewraded with lucrative television offers. But Neo Sports has shown the way with extremely racist ads about the Windies in their Channel, so no real surprise seeing Jones in their channel.

I don't see how people bring in race in this issue. I don't know of any "terrorist race". -- classic example of focusing on trivial fringe issues.

Deano did himself no favours by suggesting later on that Boje was the terrorist and not Amla as had been reported. That sums up pretty much everything . Deano should be kept out - about time the news channels set a precedent.

cum on mate wat hapnd has hapnd forget it

Sudeep 8 hours, 2 minutes ago
what you said is spot on.

Funny how you had to bring Darren Lehman and Mel Gibson into this, which can be interpreted as racism against Australians! Jones made a bad joke, he apologised for said joke, Amla accepted said apology... end of story. There's nothing fair about this "one strike you're out" philosophy. As the cricket lover said, this is past, a non-issue. If he makes another crack, then get rid of him for sure. But until then, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

What is racism? The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.

The white people in this world have been conditioned not to express their true beliefs in this regard to avoid being called racists, unless they are with their close friends or family. In their heart of hearts, not many of them really see anything wrong with racist behavior, just in the outward expression of these beliefs!

Dean Jones was a buffoon to say it aloud what the people who were quick to support him could hide so well. So, it was not at all surprising to see his white friends see nothing wrong with Dean Jones' behavior because they know the only difference between them and him is that he couldn't conceal his prejudice as well as they could...nothing more.
For that, they claim that he has suffered enough, let him get on with his job and give him a chance to do a better job of hiding it going forward.

all this is fine that we say but what abt the "GREAT BARRY RICHARDS" .eehh??? coz Barry richards is supposed to be percevied to have been wronged and robbed for "supposed no FAULT of his.. whatver that guy says is forgiven..forget his constant outburst against a certain Sachin that he is overated player that can be taken as personal opinion even when afganistan play papua new guinea and tendulkar record comes up he will say AHH Sachin made those runs on small grounds flat pitches in india but thats ok what he says About "Indian" characteriistics in SA batting "indian" collapse is surely racist...yet Since SA are neither "East" nor "West" no one says anything isnt it Mr keshavan and less said about SA spectators the better

Well, it is true racism exists in India too.. Its everywhere.. The recent Shilpa Shetty episode is another reminder.. And since Jones has apologised, I dont see why we have to continue grilling him.. It was a mistake and he has admitted it.. Maybe he didnt really mean Amla to be a terrorist.. But he still apologised for his words.. Even though he may not have meant it, the words that we heard were not pleasant. Why cant we just accept the apologies and close this thing. Mukul, I totally disagree with u and I think its highly inappropriate to say Jones should not appear again on Indian televison.. We already have a chronic shortage of intelligent home grown commentators.. Most of us are tired of hearing the voices of Arun Lal and Sivaramakrishnan.. Apart from Ravi Shastri, Gavaskar, Bhogle and Manjrekar we have nobody who talks intelligent cricket in the commentary box giving us any worthwhile analysis.. So we need people like Jones with his endearing character and fun loving attitude.. Somebody desperately needs to replace Arun Lal his friend Sivaramakrishnan with his sqeaky voice. I think Nimbus has done a great job by bringing him back. He should stay!

Moreover I am yet reconcile myself to commentaors from third countries doing commentary in bilateral series or primarily for a partisan audience. While We like the umpires to be nuetral,the commentators represent the viewer at the ground.If the commentator is from the country of one of the teams he is like the spectator.Applauding good performance from opposition but essentially wanting to be doing the commentary when Amarnath came to bowl to Holding.Had Ashish Ray or Tony Cozier been on air just then the excitement would have been more.Yes the host broadcaster was the BBC and the venue was nuetral too but living on South Asian eyeballs should sensitize these commentators to the South asian sensibilities.

I think some writers are going off at a tangent here. There is a big difference between a term like "nigger" with its derogatory meaning, steeped in oppression and misery and slavery, and a term like, for example, "pom", a mocking term for the English coined by the Australians.

The problem with what Dean Jones said is that it exposes a symptom of what is going wrong in Britain, Australia and the USA and probably elsewhere. Some recent terrorist acts have been committed by Muslims. Amla is a Muslim. Jones's comment represents the fear and rejection of the muslim community by others, for the cowardly acts of a few, which were designed to achieve that very rejection, and to foment racial strife.

We should be standing together, not pushing further apart. If we don't stand together, both against the terrorists, and those who would paint all members of a worldwide religion as potential terrorists, the end result will be more misery and more lives lost.

One of the reasons I love cricket is for its essential fairness and decency, and Jones's comments as a so called "joke" have no place in this great game. His attempted justification is weak and self-serving, and reduces him further in my eyes.

Lastly, the stupidity of the comment itself. Would anyone call Murali a terrorist because he is Tamil? Or Ed Joyce a terrorist because he is Irish? If it is true (I can hardly credit it) as someone has commented above, that Amla's OWN TEAMMATES use this as a joking nickname, then perhaps the South African exile from cricket wasn't long enough.

It sounds like Amla has enough to contend with, without bigotted comments from people who should know better.

as a muslim myself, i think jones just made a stupid comment nothing more, we all make stupid jokes sometimes. i tend to judge people by their actions, not necessarily by what they say. and dean jones is one of the few westerners who genuinely has an affinity with pakistan and india, he's one of the few westerners who enjoys his time there. he's gets on really well with the pakistan cricket team for example, unlike a lot of english/aussies who are always "suspicious" of them, be it ball-tampering, closet racism, little englander mentality, or whatever.

jones is not like that, he's a refreshing change. and i'm glad he's back.

look who is talking about racism, the land where fairness creams are selling like ***king hot cakes...hmmm

Not a big surprise because Its open season on Muslims in the whole world

While I agree with pil and others saying we Indians too are racists ... the article makes the point very well. Is not a responsible commentator require to be responsible enough not to make such comments at all. What is fault of Amla or for that matter many Muslims who wear beards. Pakistan has some great cricketers like Yousaf Youhana (now a Muslim) sporting a beard (the best test batsman in 2006) and also Saeed Anwar. As an Indian, I always prayed that they do not bat as well against India but I am their fan too. Even in jokes privately between friends, you do not deride someone by calling anyone a "terrorist" - how would Mr Jones would have felt if someone would have commented that his forefathers may be criminals deported to Australia - it is as bad - is not in good taste and should not be said at all. It hurts and words hurt more than the sword because the victim is alive to bear it forever.

It was indeed a very bad comment, but Dean Jones has accepted responsibility and his apology was accepted by Amla. I have always enjoyed Dean Jones' commentary because he made even the dullest matches lively and worth watching. He deserves another chance.

Sillypointer, do yuo realise what you're saying? You're saying that all white men are racists, which itself is a shockingly racist remark in itself. It's certainly more racist than anything Jones said, but hey, Robert Mugabe said it first, so that does make sense.

And Sandeep, please. Barry Richards never said anything remotely racist about Indians that you mentioned. If you knew anything about it you'd know that he was one of the South Africans who spoke out AGAINST Apartheid. The fact is that the Indian cricket team do have a well deserved reputation for being chokers, and there's absolutely nothing racist about drawing that analogy for batting collapses.

Personally, I am sick and tired of the politically correct brigade. Sure what Dean Jones said was stupid, especially because he did not realise that the microphone was on. But get real. Do you honestly expect all people to be politically correct all the time? Honestly tell me Mukul, have you been politically correct all your life? Never told a Sardarji joke, or a joke about women or about assorted other races? I have enough Sardar friends who tell the most outrageous Sardarji jokes, as I have enough non-Sardar friends who do the same. So what's the big deal.

The point is the guy said something silly, without realizing that it was being broadcast, apologized for it, was pulled off the air for a while and as a result lost some pay. I suspect that is more than enough. Get on with life.

The problem with the politically correct brigade is that in their extreme self righteousness, they also forget other people are entitled to have their opinion, however silly and stupid, it these opinions might be. Instead of laughing at their stupidity, the PC brigade goes on a witch hunt.

I will give you just one example. Around the time that Shilpa Shetty was makes waves on UK television as a victim of racism, another participant in another silly British Reality show made a comment to the effect that she wanted slavery to be brought back. The day after the media reported about this comment, it seems that some university that had granted her admission, decided to withdraw the offer.

I find this an extremely dangerous trend. Sure her comment about slavery was ridiculous, but why should her views be the reason for her to be denied admission to the university? And if we go down this path, how long before we start denying admissions because someone thinks Karl Marx was right or because someone is the member of the VHP?

Have a sense of proportion guys.

I am a Pakistani Canadian and living here for the past many years. I have played cricket and I have been watching cricket with a lot of interest. But, here I would like to comment about Dean Jones.

In my opinion Dean Jones is one of the best commentators I have come across, he is not only pleasant to hear but has good knowledge of the game and as a player too he was very good.

About the "terrorist" comment, it is debatable but whatever he may have said irrespective of what the truth is, my question is: " Do you guys wanna kill him, hang him till death? " He must have apologized twenty times and he has tried to give explanation to people through the media and to Amla in person, but some people are holding grudge against him, which is not fair.

Why can't bygones be bygones? If you say one word you are gone for the rest of your life, you are doomed for your life? Oh, come on please give me a break, the President of the United States of America can say even more rude things and also speak lies about WMD and the British Prime Minister echo's his words and they both go and attack Iraq on the pretext of Iraq possessing the WMD and in the end they found nothing, even before the attack the UN officials confirmed that there is nothing, but they still went and attacked Iraq. I don't want to discuss that in detail here, but I think Dean Jones is a very nice guy and among the whole lot of commentators that is around these days he is definitely the best.

Hey DEANO, like me there are plenty of people who support you and want you to be back, so don't feel disheartened by the comments of a few blokes there are more who like you and want you to be back in the main stream. Wish you all the best.

For someone to make a statement like that, whether or not he knew that the microphone was on, simply means that he has it on his mind and to some extent, he means what he said! Claiming that someone is a terrorist is a very very Serious Offense and should not be said even if it is meant for a joke.

I really don't believe he should be given back the opportunity to commentate in Intenational Matches.

Forgiveness is one thing, but it is so hard to Forget [after all we're only human].

-Peace!

Tauhira ƒŕõm Ĵämãîċā

Its a mere coincidence that your messages follow mine (it happened in the Pak Spin blog too) and all your messages end with the letter "Peace." And what a shame that you talk about peace, but you do not want to implement it. In fact you are negating the concept of peace by saying that 'forgiveness is one thing and it is so hard to forget' and also you are of the view that Dean Jones should not be allowed to commentate in the International matches! That means you are not forgiving him but holding a grudge against him.

It also means that you are only talking from your mind and not from your heart and peace can only be implemented and achieved if you believe in your heart and not your mind.

Another thing is, every single religion promotes and propagate peace, and peace is achieved through forgiveness from heart. Therefore, you better believe your heart and not your mind. A mind can only see what it is prepared to see, whereas a heart can feel, a mind can make mistakes but, feelings will not fail you. The sixth sense resides in your heart and not in your mind. Your instincts reside in your heart and not in your mind. Your mind can only be at peace if your heart is at peace. A heart is not a piece of flesh in our body, but the centre of all our feelings, emotions, motives, rives, aspirations, remembrance and attention. It is the hearts which soften or harden and become stony.

I am not here to give you a lecture but just want you to know what truth is all about. And truth is an ever-alive state of consciousness, an enduring posture of heart. Once a truth so permeates your inner world, it must pour out in the world of words & deeds, so by not forgetting and not letting him commentate is like holding a grudge or vengeance. And people who pratice vengeance say, vengeance is a food that must be eaten cold! :-)

...i really can't understand why deano has been victimised for his silly joke. he's clearly not a racist. not only that, but i don't think there's a commentator out there who is as warm and friendly to pakistanis. he's an anti-racist!

it you want an example of a racist aussie, look no further than darrell hair, who in his weird little mind is the only man who can discipline and bring order to those crazy natives. or john howard, the aussie prime minister - he's another right-wing nut.

Everyone just needs to CALM down! For Christ's sake (am i allowed to say that, or is it going to be considered blasphemous?) let the poor man go. Dean Jones's utterances were not appropriate for a live television broadcast, i am not disagreeing with that. But why are we hanging this poor man out to dry? Like many have touched upon in the comments section of this article, this type of utterance happens on a daily basis the world over. I am an Indian who lives in Australia, and i find that this article portrays Australian's in a very unfair light. Yes, they are outspoken, yes, they do shoot straight so to speak....but so what? This doesn't make them bad people. They, like the rest of us, like to have a bit of a laugh. Indians, have and forever will, crack jokes about Sikh's (c'mon Mukul, you have to be kidding me if you tell me you have never once uttered a 'pape' joke). The Kiwi's, constantly tell Aussie jokes and vice versa. And so on and so on.... I think it is very unfair for us to brand Dean Jones a racist for a silly utterance on live television. We need to be more tolerant is a cry that seems to emanate from all parts of the globe...but why is it that the one's crying fail to hear their own voices?

Dean Jones may have made a stupid remark but i as a Sri Lankan feel that a certain amount of blame should also go to the Sri Lankan comentator Ranjith Fernando who tends to agree with anything the other comentators say and would even agree if Tony Grieg tells us dat Murali bowls leg spin. This may have been a major reason why Dean felt he could get away with anything. Cant wait till Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardena gets behind a mike.

i think he is agreat commentator.i really enjoyed his way of commantating.so it is a good thing that he is back in the commentators box

This is one of the big cricketing tragedies and cricketing conflicts we've had to deal with in recent memory.

Personally, I have always enjoyed DJ - as a batsman, who can forget that epic 200-odd against India? He was a one day pioneer, averaging in the mid 40's in an era where that was almost unheard of. He was a special cricketer.

As a commentator, it's quite contentious...I always loved - and still love - hearing his voice. He has a very nice accent (it's important in commentating!) and always made me think that he and I were on the same wavelength.

Calling his comments racist is a bit facetious, a gray area highlighted by the Jade Goody/Shilpa Shetty Big Brother controversy. You can't define racism exactly, but you can say 100% that this is totally offensive and not acceptable. However, this is the paradox - if you heard one of your friends say that in casual conversation, how would you react? Would you call him racist? It's too easy to brand people in power as 'racist', 'bigots' etc (I hesitate to call DJ a 'celebrity'). The problem is that this indirect, cloaked racism accepted in society without raising too many eyebrows. To clear this issue once and for all, you have to draw a line and clearly define 'racism'.

He was rightly reprimanded but has served his time and I hope to hear his voice during the world cup. I'd prefer to hear anybody to Ranjit Fernando et al. How did they get jobs?!

In any case, if he has learned the err of his ways (somewhat up in the air after he denied referring to Amla)...then we should forgive. But any more outbursts and he should be ostracised from cricket, no matter how much I love him!

I said that during the Shilpa "days" and I, as an indian living abroad the last 13 years, feel that we should'nt get caught up with the western world's moralising or political correctness. Jones called Amla a terrorist and if Amla called him a convict nothing in this world changes. It's unfortunate, yes, but there are issues of greater significance to worry about. By the way we are known as "bloody indians" and it's water off my back as i feel "so says the brit/yank etc.." Pardon my digression... It's sad that things have come to this pass but the issue of division along race/clour/nationlity lines will always remain at different levels and it's just a waste of time debating the rights or wrongs of it all. Just play the game, listen to the commentary and enjoy.
PS: Gora is a derogatory term too, going by the standards espoused by you!!!

Some prominent Indian racists, misogynists and homophobes.

Bal Thackeray
(utterances against South Indians, Muslims, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis etc etc)

Manu (architect of the Varnaashrama)
His 'Manu Neethi' is a laugh riot. Read his views on women.

Ramaswamy Naicker ('Thanthai' Periyaar)
Virulently anti Brahmin.

Karunanidhi (current CM of Tamil Naadu)
Another anti Brahmin, sadly still alive.

Ashok Singhal (VHP)
Anti Muslim as anything.

Kancha Ilaiah (Dalit thinker and anti Hindu)
Believes that since the Dalits were historically oppressed, modern day caste Hindus should be made to pay.

Mayawati and her BSP goons.
Anti Hindu.

THe list goes on.

Let not the pot call a one speck kettle black (Sorry for the terrible situational pun!)

Let Deano live!

yes - he called amla terrorist - agree it is insensitive and shouldnt be made on live television - but if u call someone that doesnt mean u are a bigot n a xenophobe..
the world is full of different people and being human we are bound to notice it..Deano did, probably was just stupid n said it on the air....but to brand him a racist is stupid..
why - havent u heard the word firang loosely used earlier at all..
would much rather have a commentator who knows his game (and is human) rather than someone spouting cliched gibberish like some of our own

stop sermonising, Go get a life

As far as I have learned of the matter, what Dean said was the word "terrorist" for a bearded muslim. Now, was that purposely or unknowingly of the ON MICROPHONE, still he proved himself to be a racist and the racist should not have been allowed to carry on the commentary job in this manner. I don’t know if there is any code of conduct for commentators and if thats effectively practiced. What’s more obvious is that being racist is “fine” by the higher ups who decide to send a commentator home or let him retain the position. I can only hope that if tomorrow a “sandy skin” sub-continental commentator commits such mistake, the higher ups won’t forget that they don’t mind “racist comments” regardless of skin color and the commentator’s country, which is very unlikely in case of a Pakistani or Indian commentator. Indeed, its an embarrassing matter of the whole white race especially when they take too much pride in being “fair” towards all races and religions.

Peter Roebuck shud honestly go screw himself. While he says that Shoaib Akhtar has brought disgrace to the game, he has no qualms jumping to the assistance of an obvious bigot. Hypocrisy, it seems is well and alive

Well i am not surprised at peter Roebuck coming to
Jones defence,whenever its one of their own they defend with the same shamelesness.
Its the same peter who wrote the column against shoaib,if you dig the past he would have definitly
wrote in support of shane warne.
Whether its Hair,jones,Waugh,or warne whenever its one of their own they defend them,and godforbid if some one is from India or Pakistan they are cheats
not worthy to step on a cricket field etc.
Such Bigotry,Racism and hypocracy coming out of Australians is not new for any one.

dil khush keeta ee -- bao

Lets accept it , most(if not all) of us say stuff like this . Dont you make fun of a sardar or make comments on muslims with big beards .. we all do it and hardly any of us really mean it as to implement it . Jones got in trouble because it isnt something thats supposed to be said by a man with big reputation on national television . Its all a bit blown out of proportions . If you can swear and be accepted then such comments should be dealt in the same way . And why blame the Aussies or the English . Everyone does it .. its just when we do it its a joke and when they do it its racism.

This is just taking the issue too far. The guy made an off-hand remark,though un-professional, appologized for it countless times, and so why dont we just let it go?

Why dont u people understand? The protest is just for using the word "terrorist" for a bearded muslim and not against Dean Jones !! For heaven's sake, understand........What Dean Jones is still unacceptable.....His proficiency in wielding the bat & the mike apart !! Just becoz u love Dean, it doesn't mean that he was just jovial !! IT IS derogatory to use the word "Terrorist" for a muslim. IT is disgusting (Even if it slipped off his mouth knowingly or unknowingly).......The writer just compared the racist remarks to this....He did not mean that "terrosist" is a race. Come on u should be knowing that Rachit Bedi.......This term may not fall under any race or class....but its still demeaning the innocent bowler. Do not try to defend someone although u love him....HE should apologized sincerely atleast after the controversy.......but Dean is just there sitting pretty making excuses....All Muslims are not terrorists and all Christians are not great souls !!

forgot to mention the dead weight and the performance of Sewag and Ganguly. they are the heros of yesterday. We want the heros of today to perform the type of game we pay a lot to watch. All the oldies must retire now and left on a show case as a reminder of how degrading it was for India to have lost.Tendulkar was a legend now he is blind aswell as slow. Please give him and the rest of the team a great funeral and send them off

Only today during the Bangladesh/Australia world cup game one of the so-called commentators was heard to complain about rats in his hotel. He probably thought it was funny. Several ex-cricketers now make a living as commemtators. Several are severely limited. They simply have nothing to add about a game that is being played right before your eyes through the television, yet they must fill the hours with their twaddle. During the game one commentator remarked about the ballon or kite-like replicas of animals flying in the wind outside the Viv Richards ground and said he had seen all animals on display except possibly rats. His fellow commentator replied with something like "Well you haven't been staying at my hotel", clearly implying that he was staying at a rat-infested hotel. This is grossly irresponsible. He is being paid to offer commentary on cricket not on the ststus of hotels. It is not in the Dean Jones class but is symptomatic of the stupidity, and yes the arrogance, you must endure just for the pleasure of watching cricket. No wonder lots of people turn off the audio and just watch the play unfold without the "assistance" of the commentators. Is there a commentators school somewhere they must attend or a basic exam they must pass before being let loose on the public?

One final thing, who decides which people are beautiful and worth bringing to the attention of the viewers? When camara-men focus on people in the crowd the object of their attention is invariably scantily clad young supporters of England or Australia and sometimes India. Perhaps they can spare a thought for those of us who would appreciate fairness and variety and not the old-fashioned stereotype.

We heard it or not, mouth piece was on or off, but we for sure now know Dean is racist.