Match referee Mike Procter, the man in the middle of the storm of controversy found yesterday to be “one of the most difficult of my life”, yet has said that he stands by his judgement on Harbhajan Singh.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Procter has said that he will definitely go and complete his assignment in the series.

Procter told the Herald, that: “I am South African, and I understand the word ‘racism’. I have lived with it for much of my life. This was not a case of just taking the word of an Australian over an Indian. I stand by my decision. I believe the process was a fair one. I intend to carry on for the rest of the series, because I don’t have a problem with India. I have always had a good rapport with Indian players.

“Obviously this has all been very difficult for me. I didn’t get to sleep until 11am, and then only for a couple of hours. It has been one of the most difficult days of my life,” he told the daily.