Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee [Images] 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 [Images], between rival captains Ricky Ponting [Images] and Anil Kumble [Images] 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 [Images], 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.
Complete coverage: India's tour of Australia 2007
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