CENTURION, South Africa (Reuters)
South Africa's media lashed its own cricket board over the Mike Denness affair on Sunday, criticising them for failing to listen to their own players and allowing themselves to be blackmailed by India.

"SA players not consulted as UCB fumbles the Indian blackmail ball," was the headline above a Sunday Times sports page opinion piece.

"The most shameful revelation to emerge from South Africa's confrontation with the ICC is that the United Cricket Board failed to consult the players before robbing them and their followers of a Test match," the article said.

A news page devoted to the controversy was lead with a piece headlined "Captain takes on the cricket board." It included South Africa captain Shaun Pollock's opinion that the match should never be recognised as a Test.

An editorial, headlined "SA cricket barters its credibility", said: "South Africa's cricket officials put short-term financial considerations ahead of the long-term health of the game when they bowled to an Indian ultimatum before the third Test at Centurion."

The controversy began when six Indian players were censured by ICC-appointed match referee Denness in the second Test.

India then threatened a match boycott, persuading South Africa to sack Denness for the third and final Test without permission from the International Cricket Council.

The world governing body responded by stripping the third and final match of its Test status, sparking fears of a power struggle with India which could split the sport.

"UCB's error of judgement helped turn dispute into a disaster," the Sunday Independent headlined on its front page.

"The (UCB) appeared to give in to the (Indian) threats (of cancelling the rest of the tour) by appointing a match referee of its own.

"The situation was compounded by the UCB saying, ad infinitum, that the match would go ahead at all costs. True to form, this is what has come to pass, although at what cost to both South African and Indian cricket no-one is entirely sure."

"Make no mistake, Sachin Tendulkar was ball-tampering (although it wasn't of the ripping or seam-lifting variety) and there was some fairly excessive appealing by the Indian fielders."

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd