Rediff

Melbourne, Oct 25: Ricky Ponting has admitted that his failure as a diplomat almost landed the Australian team in jail after winning its third straight World Cup title in West Indies earlier this year.

The Australian team was busy celebrating their triumph in Barbados before a local policeman asked them to vacate the ground. In his moment of elation, Ponting ended up swearing at the officer, who took offence to it and threatened to put him and his teammates behind bars.

Ponting said he did not know how to react for a few stunned seconds.

"As a diplomat, I'd failed miserably, and I'm fully aware I shouldn't have sworn like I did, though I do wonder why they couldn't have given us a little more time," he said recalling the incident in his new book 'Captain's Diary 2007'.

The 32-year-old writes as his team was busy singing their victory anthem he noticed policeman telling them, "Righto boys, time to go, you've got to get off the ground."

"Hang on. We've just won the World Cup. Can't you give us one minute?" was how Ponting retorted to the instruction but only after adding "a swear word into that request, which the police officer did not appreciate at all."

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The policeman obviously offended said "You cannot cuss like that in Barbados."

Ponting then described the next few moments as a testimony to his failure as a diplomat.

"He stepped towards me, and my teammates moved in behind me, as if a real stink was about to take place. I think they threatened to lock us up for the night, and we soon realised that we weren't going to be permitted to finish our ceremony."

However, the incident did little to dampen the Australian team's spirits and they completed their anthem by the poolside of their hotel.

"We went back to the dressing room, packed up our things, and returned back to the hotel, where we sang the anthem long and loudly by the pool..."