Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee [Images] feels the Sydney Test furore that almost derailed India's cricket tour Down Under was a result of "contentious umpiring" and the world champions' much-cricticised behaviour was in no way responsible for the controversy.

In an e-mail interview with PTI from Adelaide, Lee emphasised that the nail-biting finish of the Test added to the bitterness that was also attributed to Australian players' "win at all costs" aggressive attitude.

It required peace talks, brokered by the ICC [Images], between rival captains Ricky Ponting [Images] and Anil Kumble [Images] to diffuse the spiralling tension.

"Whilst I don't feel we conducted ourselves poorly, the closeness of the match coupled with a few contentious umpiring decisions magnified the issues and these may have a been 'the straw that broke the camel's back'. Hence, it snowballed into a crisis," Lee asserted.

West Indian veteran Steve Bucknor, who stood along with Englishman Mark Benson in the ill-tempered match, was subsequently sacked from the series after India's complaint against his poor umpiring.

Lee felt the acrimonious episode still had a few positives to offer as it made the two teams more understanding of each other.

"The aftermath of the Sydney Test was disappointing. If I can see a positive out of it I am sure the two teams have more of an appreciation of (each other's) cultures," he pointed out.