Random Bits

Having heard a lot about the Second Test between India and Australia, I checked out the highlights and am convinced beyond doubt that bad umpiring decisions cost us the match. Of all those controversial decisions the one that stands out was that of Ganguly’s dismissal. Firstly Ganguly seemed to be in good touch and was very unfortunate to be given out in such a fashion. Watching the replays of the incident and listening to all the expert comments, I am wondering who should be blamed for this poor decision.
Lets play the blame game:-

1. Mark Benson - The man in-charge(well, almost). In this situation he could have called for the third umpire or atleast asked the square leg umpire, when he was not sure about the catch taken. Instead he asked for Ricky Ponting’s opinion and based his decision entirely on that. But the pre-match agreement between captains of the two sides to non-referral of such decisions to third-umpire and instead go by the word of the fielder should have prompted this. And also the incident in first innings, where Ponting had restrained from appealing in a similar situation, when he had not completed the catch clearly, should have also influenced the umpire.
2. Ricky Ponting - The actual man who made the decision. Well we have heard a lot about his credibility, or rather lack of it. But in this case, one thing that goes in his way is that he supposedly asked Clarke if he was sure of the catch and he just conveyed the same to the umpire. Well its a different thing that earlier in the innings he had appealed for a catch that he had not taken cleanly and which moreover seemed to have clearly come off the pads.
3. Michael Clarke - The man who claimed the catch. Going by the “spirit of the game” this was clearly wrong. But given the situation of the game and the fact that we are used to batsmen standing their ground even after “nicking the ball”, he may justify his act.
4. How about Anil Kumble!! - He should not have agreed to the seemingly stupid “go by the fielder” policy, especially when playing the Aussies. As Sunil Gavaskar put it, “Why don’t you trust the batsmen when you can believe a fielder”. Moreover lets put the third umpire to use - he is not paid for nothing. Anil Kumble is no doubt a tough cricketer but he plays his game in the true spirit. Unfortunately many don’t and he should have realized it by now.
5. … we can go on with this list

What amazes me about the game of cricket is the amount of passions involved. Like everything else, here you should be driven to bring out your best. Now that India have won the third test, breaking the Australian domination, they have clearly made a statement.

If you haven’t yet already seen these videos many times over, here are some links:-

All those umpiring goof-ups in the test
Pointing’s interview at the end of the match
Furious Sunny