Symonds incident should be out of media quickly; Ponting

Mumbai, Oct 19 (UNI) Australian skipper Ricky Ponting today said cricket would now be at the centrestage and the crowd should be prevented from indulging in racist taunts at teammate Andrew Symonds during tomorrow's Twenty20 International against India here.

Talking to reporters on the eve of the match, Ponting said, ''there are lots of things being said in media but the quicker the incident over Symonds went out of the newspapers, the better it was for everyone concerned.

Symonds had been taunted by the crowd with what he and the Australians felt as racist gestures and words during the One-Dayers at Vadodara and Mumbai, leading to the International Cricket Council issuing a warning to BCCI.

Meanwhile, Mumbai police have decided to deploy 100 officers with handy-cams at the Brabourne Stadium to video-tape spectators indulging in offensive behaviour.

UNI