Australian captain Steve Waugh has today defended match referee Mike Denness' decision to fine and place a suspended Test ban on Indian star Sachin Tendulkar.

Speaking on the eve of the Second Test against New Zealand in Hobart, Waugh declared his support for all initiatives aimed at freeing the sport from on-field misconduct. Misconduct, he said, which clearly extended to include altering the condition of the ball.

"If he's picked the seam, then he's got to pay the penalty just like everyone else," said Waugh of Tendulkar's appearance before Denness during this week's highly-charged Second Test between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth.

"There shouldn't be any favours just because of your reputation or the way you play the game.

"If you do something wrong then you've got to get pulled up for it."

After viewing footage of an incident on the third day of play in the Port Elizabeth Test, Denness imposed a one-match ban on Tendulkar - suspending the penalty until the end of the year - and also fined the star Indian batsman 75% of his match fee.

Five other Indian players - including captain Sourav Ganguly and star spin bowler Harbhajan Singh - were also heavily punished for other breaches of the code of conduct, primarily for excessive appealing.

They were decisions which sparked outrage among officials, commentators and fans across India, as well as a number of the country's past and present players.

But Waugh vowed that stricter sanctions for such practices were long overdue.

"I think it's been going on too long," he said, in reference to ball tampering.

"It's about time people started paying the penalty.

"More consistency is what we're after, and that's what (the International Cricket Council) is trying to do. If someone does something wrong, they're going to be penalised.

"We're looking for consistency ... and if they give you that, then you know where you stand. If you go the wrong side of the line, you know you're going to get penalised. As long as they're consistent, then that's fine by the players."

Waugh conceded that it was his own players' custom not to walk after knowingly being dismissed, but claimed a "tough but fair" approach should prevail among all teams.

"We made a conscious effort from last year to accept every decision. If you're given out when it's not out, then bad luck. If you're given not out when it's out, then it's your good luck.

"But you accept all decisions."

Asked to clarify the reason why altering the state of the ball should be seen as such a sin, Waugh was quickly on to the front foot.

"I wouldn't mind my bat being a bit wider as well," he quipped.

"There's a ball and a bat there and it's a contest. If you alter either of those, then you shouldn't be playing."

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd