Daijiworld Media Network

New Delhi, Jul 1: Controversial Australian umpire Daryl Harper has gone on the defensive over criticism from Indian players regarding his decisions in the first India-West Indies test in Kingston.

His comments, which might well land him in further trouble, came in the wake of Indian captain Dhoni's remarks that he was disappointed with the umpiring during the test. His remarks drew criticism from the Australian media, which said the ICC should have taken action against him.

Taking a dig at Indians, he said, "Errors in international cricket matches were as common as Indians eating beef burgers. I should never have applied the laws of cricket to Indian players."

The comment may not go down well with the Indians, and it would be interesting to see ICC's reaction.

Harper also said the West Indies team had complained against India's 'habit' of excessive appealing which was not in 'the spirit of the game'.

Harper has stepped down from officiating in the third test of the series, which would have been his last and 300th one. The Australian media blamed ICC's inaction against Dhoni for Harper's decision.

Harper also defended himself saying the match refree Jeff Crowe as well as the ICC had found 94 percent of his decisions to be correct.

He specifically referred to Virat Kohli's caught-behind dismissal and said the replays could not confirm whether he was right or wrong.