Double Standard

The controversial Australia v India Test Match at Sydney has attracted much media attention and this blog has started just too late to get involved. However, there was one incident that was not given the coverage it deserved. In the Australian first innings Andrew Symonds was given not out when he edged a ball from Ishant Sharma. Symonds had several more dubious decisions go his way and went onto make 162 not out. At the press conference at the end of the first day, Symonds said:

"I was very lucky. I was out when I was 30, given not out. That's cricket though. I can sit here and tell you about my bad decisions as well, but I won't"

How can he get away with saying that? Surely this is undermining the umpire at the very basic level. He is not giving an opinion, he is saying that he knows he hit the ball and umpire was wrong. What would happen if Ishant Shama had said (which he did not)

"I was unlucky today. I had Symonds out when he was on 30 but the umpire was wrong. That may have lost us the test match"

I would suggest that Sharma would have had a severe reprimand and at the very least been fined. Why was Symonds not fined for undermining the umpire?