MCG pitch was tampered with

Australia's nine-wicket win against India in the third Test in Melbourne on Tuesday was tinged with controversy after the match referee Mike Procter reported the curator to the International Cricket Council for repairing the pitch before the start of final day's play.

Before the start of play on Day 5, the two umpires Billy Bowden and David Shepherd noticed that an area of the playing pitch had been tampered with by the ground staff on Tuesday morning.

Apparently, Tony Ware, the curator at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, repaired a piece of pitch which got unstuck in repair this morning.

Procter, however, said he was satisfied with the explanation given by the ground staff. "I found the explanation honest. The curator said while sweeping the pitch this morning, the piece had come off and he put a base and refixed it.

"I do not think there was any mal-intention to it. I conveyed it to (Indian skipper) Sourav Ganguly who obviously was concerned but he wanted to put the matter in my hands.

"I would prepare my report and submit it to ICC but I don't read too much into it," he said.

Ganguly refused to comment on the issue but Steve Waugh put it down to an "honest mistake".

"I did not realise what was happening and came to know about it only when the match was over. It was an honest mistake -- I don't think it changed the outcome of the game," said the Australian skipper.

Australia won the third Test by nine wickets. The fourth and final Test starts in Sydney on January 2, 2004.