MUMBAI: Despite the enormous backing of technology, we just cannot prevent cricket from intermittently creeping into the realm of controversies. That is because cricket officials, the field umpire included, are somewhat reluctant to submit entirely to off-field gadgetry.
Take just the last weekend. Two different international matches, at venues torn so much apart, from Colombo to Perth, had common heartburns for the batsmen, as they once again fell victims to erratic umpiring decisions.
At Colombo, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh were given out on leg-before decisions. TV replays showed that both of them were adjudged wrongly. In this case, it can be said that lbw decisions cannot yet be scrutinized by the third umpire on television replays.
However, the dismissal of New Zealand's new-comer Neil Broome, given out bowled was couched in a huge controversy.
The television replays, all of them and from several angles, clearly showed that Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin had his gloves right in front of the stumps. As per the laws of the game, the batsman cannot be given out in any manner, if there is such intervention in the path of the ball.
The criticism of this decision provoked the New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori to react in a manner that just fell short of calling the Ausse wicketkeeper a "cheat."
Needless acrimony was created, as had happened last year during the Indian team's tour Down Under when a couple of awful umpiring decisions had hit the visitors hard in the Sydney Test.
The International Cricket Council must consider a wider application of the technology that has been brought in.
When elaborate television replays, from the output of some twenty cameras, are available then why not use them whenever there is a doubtful situation.
Surprisingly enough, several replays are seen by the third umpire to decide on a close boundary hit, in as much as whether any part of the fielder's person had touched or crossed the boundary rope. But when a vital decision is at stake, the umpires do not even refer it to the third umpire.
The ICC must make referrals mandatory in all doubtful cases. To make these more effective, the third umpire must directly intervene to correct a wrongly given decision. It is also time to bring lbw decisions under the purview of the third umpire's scrutiny.
If ICC has opted for the use of technology, there ought not to be any half-measures. The question that also needs to be asked is why only players are reported by the match referee for any breach of code of conduct. What about blundering umpires?
