PTI
Mumbai, Oct 18: A livid Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has said continuous "racial abuse" directed towards all-rounder Andrew Symonds by the crowds during the one-day cricket series against India must have left even the host fans embarrassed.
"I am sure there will be a lot of embarrassed people around this country as well to know that this stuff has happened again at one of their cricket venues," Ponting said after Australia won seven-match series 4-2.
Ponting said he was hoping for better crowd behaviour during the Twenty20 match on Saturday.
"It is done now, hopefully in the Twenty20 match on Saturday it does not happen there" he said.
Ponting said he wanted an end to the hostilities and called on the spectators to behave during the tour finale at Brabourne stadium.
"Some of the other stuff that went on today (Wednesday) was totally unnecessary. I just hope that it does not happen again at another cricket venue that I play in because it leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouth," the skipper said.
Symonds has alleged that racial taunts have been directed at him in the last three one-dayers at Vadodara, Nagpur and Mumbai, a claim backed by match referee Chris Broad, who has mentioned the incidents in his report to the ICC.
Even during Wednesday’s match, four spectators were detained by the police for "misbehaviour".
Symonds was booed, when he came out to bat and it continued after he was out first ball. The man of the series was once again jeered by the crowd during the presentation ceremony.