Earlier yesterday, Australian captain Ricky Ponting and batsman Simon Katich were both fined for
Fourth Test dummy spits at Trent Bridge after an ICC hearing, chaired by match
referee Ranjan Madugalle after the close of play.

Ponting is 5,200 pounds or 75% of his match fee poorer for his earlier outburst on Saturday after
he was run out by an England 12th man substitute, that earned his ire
even before departing the field, and then on his way up the steps back to the
pavilion, for which he has since publicly apologised for his unseemly dummy
spit. Katich was fined half of his match
fee.

Immediately as
you watched the aggrieved Australian captain departing the field after being run
out for a single that was never there on the third day, and was then shown
visibly lobbing verbal grenades up at the England dressing room balcony – you
knew “the goose” was going to be cooked by the ICC match referee.

Then overnight
as the Aussies battled with every sinew to mount a defiant resistance against an
inevitable England victory and 2-1 Ashes toehold – Katich was delivered a
shocking lbw decision by Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar, in what was a very
forgettable game for the umpires. Katich
shared his displeasure with those around him before departing the crease,
incredulous as he had a right to be without the obvious dissent; that he had
been judged lbw to a ferociously appealing Steve Harmison. The wicket ball pitched outside leg stump and
then clearly hit Katich high on his pad above the knee roll – and surely heading
over the stumps?

While Ponting
is right to be concerned with the way England is bending the rules on resting
players and using specialist 12th man subs, this public reaction
looked very much like sour grapes as he would now acknowledge. It also would have given the England camp
every encouragement on Saturday night, to see the rival skipper so agitated and
indicative of the mindset of this Australian team, who for all their fighting
qualities are now staring right down the barrel of an Ashes series
defeat?