Cricket threatened to break out from the “Bollyline” crisis as India finally left Sydney for a friendly in Canberra beginning today and Anil Kumble revealed that Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, had blocked an attempt to sort out the racism issue without involving match officials during the second Test.

Kumble, the India captain, said he knew that the allegation against Harbhajan Singh would escalate if Australia submitted a formal complaint. But Ponting said that he was under instruction from the ICC to report racial incidents after crowd problems on Australia’s tour to India last year. The ICC has appointed John Hansen, a High Court judge from New Zealand, to hear the appeal against Harbhajan’s three-match ban, which is unlikely to be begin before the third Test in Perth that starts on Wednesday. Harbhajan, accused of describing Andrew Symonds as “a monkey”, can play pending the appeal.

Kumble said: “I have been in the game a long time and knew what would happen. It was alleged to be a racist remark and from what I gather from my teammates, that remark was never used.” Kumble will hold clear-the-air talks with Ponting before the series resumes.

Hartley Alleyne, the former Barbados, Worcestershire and Kent fast bowler who was threatened with deportation despite having spent most of the past 30 years living and working in Britain, has won a reprieve from the Home Office. The 50-year-old, who came to Britain from Barbados in 1978, received a letter last week telling him that he could remain in the country until 2011, when he will be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain and formal British citizenship.