Sydney: The men in the white coats are under the heat. Even Day 2 in Sydney wasn't error-free. The Indian team management however has stated that it won't lodge a formal complaint against the umpiring errors, though they have said that these mistakes are likely to have an impact on the game's outcome. No one knows what stopped Steve Bucknor from referring some of the decisions to the third umpire. For a man who has umpired in 119 Tests and 167 One-Dayers for the last 2 decades, it was an unforgivable error, forcing the Indian management to issue a carefully worded statement."Well, there is a sense of disappointment about some of the decisions yesterday and we have a feeling that it will have a bearing on the outcome of the match,” said M V Sridhar, Media manager of the Indian cricket Team. But why was it decided not to lodge an official complaint against these shockers? The Indian camp feels that it would send out a signal that the team is making excuses, although a subtle message was sent out.“We don’t want to be judgmental at this stage. The appropriate authorities will take whatever action they find is suitable,” added Sridhar. Clearly, the man on the radar is Bucknor. There is a belief that the Jamaican has always had a pronounced anti-India bias. Even in the usually combative Aussie camp there seems to be some sympathy for India“No doubt about it. Both the chances, would have (costed India a lot), probably more heated discussion has taken place in the Indian dressing room about the umpiring,” said Aussie vice-captain, Adam Gilchrist. And while the Australian press has by and large been quiet on the issue, respected cricket writer Peter Roebuck has called the umpiring dreadful. He wrote: "Umpires resist the onset of technology to resolve tricky decisions. Nothing in yesterday's events advanced their cause. The evidence was presented to viewers on television but not to the man making the decision. It was hardly fair on anyone involved."Clearly, after the fuss here in Sydney, the ICC will have to sit up and take notice. Strong voices within the game such as Richie Benaud and Geoffrey Boycott have been calling for years for more technology to be used in cricket. Perhaps the right time is now.Thursday, January 3, 2008
ICC must take notice of umpiring errors
Sydney: The men in the white coats are under the heat. Even Day 2 in Sydney wasn't error-free. The Indian team management however has stated that it won't lodge a formal complaint against the umpiring errors, though they have said that these mistakes are likely to have an impact on the game's outcome. No one knows what stopped Steve Bucknor from referring some of the decisions to the third umpire. For a man who has umpired in 119 Tests and 167 One-Dayers for the last 2 decades, it was an unforgivable error, forcing the Indian management to issue a carefully worded statement."Well, there is a sense of disappointment about some of the decisions yesterday and we have a feeling that it will have a bearing on the outcome of the match,” said M V Sridhar, Media manager of the Indian cricket Team. But why was it decided not to lodge an official complaint against these shockers? The Indian camp feels that it would send out a signal that the team is making excuses, although a subtle message was sent out.“We don’t want to be judgmental at this stage. The appropriate authorities will take whatever action they find is suitable,” added Sridhar. Clearly, the man on the radar is Bucknor. There is a belief that the Jamaican has always had a pronounced anti-India bias. Even in the usually combative Aussie camp there seems to be some sympathy for India“No doubt about it. Both the chances, would have (costed India a lot), probably more heated discussion has taken place in the Indian dressing room about the umpiring,” said Aussie vice-captain, Adam Gilchrist. And while the Australian press has by and large been quiet on the issue, respected cricket writer Peter Roebuck has called the umpiring dreadful. He wrote: "Umpires resist the onset of technology to resolve tricky decisions. Nothing in yesterday's events advanced their cause. The evidence was presented to viewers on television but not to the man making the decision. It was hardly fair on anyone involved."Clearly, after the fuss here in Sydney, the ICC will have to sit up and take notice. Strong voices within the game such as Richie Benaud and Geoffrey Boycott have been calling for years for more technology to be used in cricket. Perhaps the right time is now.