WC & Umpiring

Cricket World Cup 2019 is facing one of biggest controversy regarding on field umpires’ decisions with Legendary Fast bowler and Commentator Michael Holding lashing out at the International Cricket council (ICC) for the umpiring standards in the WC 2019.

He also told the ICC that its stand on-asking commentators to restrain themselves from speaking about umpires on air- is why today’s commentators are being compromised by the controlling organisation to the point of censorship.

His criticism on umpiring was for the match between Australia & West Indies played on 6^th Jun 2019 at Trent Bridge, where several umpiring  howlers were made by on field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Ruchira Palliyaguruge. Both the umpires ended up getting two decisions overturned per head, with Gaffaney also failed to notice a very obvious No Ball call, the ball before Starc got Chris Gayle out.

The big-hitting West Indies opener was in fact, given out three times and reviewed all three decisions, the first two clearly finding Gaffaney in the wrong. The first review was taken for a caught-behind decision, where replays showed the ball scraping past the off-stump and missing the bat enroute to Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey’s gloves. The next came a full-toss that smashed into Gayle’s heel, with the impact clearly outside leg-stump which was initially given out but was later over-turned.

In the next over, the lbw call against Gayle stayed with the ball shown clipping the leg-stump. However, a replay of the previous delivery showed Starc’s front-foot had landed quite a few inches outside the popping crease, and meant that the 35-year-old had got out to a potential free-hit delivery.

Holding, while commentating, criticised the umpires after captain Jason Holder successfully reviewed an LBW decision when he was initially given out — incorrectly — for the second time.

According to Holding, both the on-field umpires caved under pressure.

“I am sorry but the umpiring in this game has been atrocious,” This was the comment by Holding while he was giving commentary.

“For one, even when I was playing and they were not as strict as they are now, you were allowed one appeal. You don’t appeal two, three, four times to the umpire. That is the first thing. They are being intimidated (by Australia’s appealing), that means they are weak. This has been an atrocious bit of umpiring by both,” he added.

West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite also vented his anger against the umpires. “I don’t know if I’ll be fined for saying it, but I just think that the umpiring was a bit frustrating,” Brathwaite told reporters after the match.

On the next day after the match, ie 7^th Jun 19 Holding received an E mail from the production head for ICC’s rights partner Sunset & Vine Asia, reminding him about ‘the importance of maintaining the highest standards and uphold the game’s best value and spirit while commentating.  Inherently in live TV, there are occasions when on field decisions cause reason for discussion or debate, but as ICC TV host broadcaster our duty is not to judge or highlight mistakes.’ The production head further added  ‘Before the event, we went to great pains, to explain all production and commentary personnel of the need to avoid this type of controversy. It is essential that we never magnify umpiring mistakes.’

Holding a man of few words, has been giving commentary for 3 decades , certainly not taken this very well and wrote back ‘ If those umpires were FIFA (International Football Association), they would have been asked to pack their bags and head home. They would not have been given another World Cup game to  officiate. As a former cricketer, I think cricket should be held to a higher standard. Is the objective to protect the umpires even when they do a bad job?’ He further added that ‘ these mistakes by umpires can ruin the career of some players. I am sorry, but I am not going to be part of that. Please let me know if I should be heading home or to the venue of my next commentary assignment, because I do not agree with what is being suggested here and happy not being part of it.’

It is fact the umpiring in the recent years have been going  from good to bad to worse, and it is atrocious  at times. With TV replay and Decision reviewing System (DRS), the umpires are least bothered about whether batsmen is out or not, they know that their decision will be reviewed. But they do not even bother to observe the No Balls, which is totally unfair to batsmen. Most of the times No Ball is reviewed after the batsmen is given out by umpire or either of the team asked for DRS. Now if a batsman knows that bowler has bowled No Ball, then he can change his shot, and in ODI and T20 batsman knows that he will get the next ball as Free Hit, where he can score runs. There have been many instances in the past, where batsman has been given out by on field umpire, but was called back after the review when it is noticed by the umpire it was No Ball.  Now if the field umpire had declared the No Ball, then batsman might have played differently and scored runs for his team. Now who is responsible for the loss of runs. What about the psychological sufferings of both batsman  and bowler.

The problem is cricket has become very commercial and it is the Sponsors and TV broadcasters who are ruling the game and cricket administration has become puppet in their hands. The Administrators try to be holier than thou and also want cricket to be gentlemen’s game. How it is feasible when umpiring errors are rising and for players, who are professional, sometimes their career is at stake, if they are wrongly given out.

Let us hope for the best.

Waiting for your views/comments/feed backs.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

12^th Jun 2019