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October 28, 1997
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The moving finger
L Sivaramakrishnan
Almost a decade ago, after a Test match, it was very common to hear complaints about the quality of umpiring from the touring team.
All the more so if there were some crucial decisions which went against them. It seemed, at the time there was absolutely nothing which could be done about this. These minor skirmishes seemed to have become a part of the game.
Soon however, a lot of money came pouring into the game and umpiring came under greater scrutiny. Winning or losing a match became more important than before, and umpiring errors, thus, became were seen as too crucial.
Finally, in 1989, the ICC decided to go in for neutral umpires. It was also the same year, for the first time, that India levelled a series against Pakistan on Pakistan soil. And this was a good sign for things to come.
Gladdened by the results, and working on the feed-back received by the ICC, the committee decided to make another drastic change in the game -- they brought in the third umpire. And once more, India was in the picture when the third umpire, for the first time, started ruling on line decisions in South Africa in 1991. The umpires on the field referred to their colleague in the pavilion only in run out and stumping decisions. And with these changes, complaints against umpiring were reduced further, though I presume it would be difficult to get rid of them all together.
There have been other significant changes in the quality of umpiring. These days, it is common to find that the umpires of the National Grid have themselves played Test cricket, before they went on to become umpires of repute. The ICC choose two of the best umpires, apiece, from all cricketing nations to form the National Grid. And made it mandatory that all official Test matches and one day internationals have to have at least one umpire from the Grid. This has really proved a good learning ground for the home umpire, who is constantly learning from his more experienced colleague. It helps boost the home umpire's confidence and, hopefully pushes him towards one day forming part of the Grid himself.
The fact that umpires themselves have played cricket to some degree has had a positive fallout -- earlier, the perpetual complaint was the umpire did not know how it feels to play the game and was not, therefore, capable of making tough decisions.
In today's situation, with umpires who have played cricket at the highest level, the decisions come with a great deal of authority which few players dare to question. And one reason could be that the players respect and have regard for these umpires, knowing that they have, in their time, been players themselves and therefore can see things from a player's perspective.
Meanwhile, the third umpire situation remains fluid. It was in the finals of the Hero Cup that the third umpire ruled, for the first time, on a bowled decision, causing a great deal of confusion. And these days, it is not uncommon to find that the third umpires are asked to give their opinions on boundary calls, and even some tough catches. Earlier, the fielder who was chugging the ball was conferred with about boundary decisions -- but with the game getting more professional, every decision which has to be made has become vital.
However, the increasing role played by the third umpire brings with it inherent doubts in some minds. Many fear that with the increasing ascendancy of the third umpire, the role of the field umpire could soon diminish to near nothing -- at best, maybe, count overs and call no-balls and such.
However, the opposing school of thought holds that these fears are baseless, that the third umpire will never fully replace the field umpires or dilute their importance, that the two would coexist and one would never replace the other.
The point is that cricket, like any other game, has to adapt, to grow, to accept the changes in a technological world. If this technology can help make the umpire's job a little easier, then why not?
Umpiring is not an easy job. While the players may have the luxury of being momentarily distracted, or of relaxing when the ball is in the other part of the ground, the umpire can afford no such indulgence. His mind must be constantly on the game -- counting the number of balls, watching for no balls and wides, checking the spot where the ball pitches -- each ball, mind you -- in case it leads to an LBW call, then seeing what the batsman does, where it goes, what the fielder does.... and so on, to the next ball and the next... In that sense, he is perhaps the only one who is involved, totally, in the action from first ball to last of the match.
And that, believe me, can be tough. Draining. Demanding.
And with the onset of television coverage relying on state of the art technology, which was given us numerous angles from which to view each delivery, including the fascinating stump cam, the pressure on the umpires has been mounting steadily. He can no longer afford to be complacent. There is an expert team of commentators viewing the ball from every angle imaginable, and an educated set of spectators watching every move. One small slip, and the whole world starts doubting his competence.
We do not, unfortunately, give him benefit of the fact that he has to do it at real time speed, while we have the advantage of 'n' number of replays. And one thing this pressure has done, I notice, is made umpires increasingly reluctant to give batsmen out -- especially on LBW appeals. I mean, the minute an appeal is made, spectators at home are treated to graphics showing where the ball pitched, where it should have pitched, and so on -- so perhaps umpires figure on erring on the side of caution? One thing is for sure, lesser appeals are being upheld, these days, than in my time.
I have had the pleasure of knowing one of the most respected umpires in international cricket -- S. Venkatragavan. I have not only played under his captaincy, but also been his room-mate on many occasions. He has always been a man of firm beliefs, and quick decisions. And this, today, is frequently reflected in his ability to take decisions fast, quick, and clean.
Interestingly, a lot of Test players are moving into umpiring on retirement, as a means of continuing their participation in the game they love. And get paid, almost as much as the players themselves, for it. Interestingly, the rules are such that it is actually easy for Test players to get into umpiring -- there are no qualifying exams to take, first, before you begin standing at the first class level. And this is good, as it encourages more Test players to take to umpiring -- to the benefit of the game.
Umpires, we players tend sometimes to forget, are not just there to give us the finger -- they are humans, with all a human beings quirks and foibles. Dicky Bird, considered one of the best umpires that the game has produced, suffers from arthritis. This resulted in his characteristic shrugging of the shoulders and bending of the elbows. People who did not know this put it down to the idiosyncrasies of a famous man. Then again, you have the superstitious ones like David Shepherd. The little jump and shuffle he executes when the total reaches 111 or 222 is a cause of great amusement to everyone. Then there are umpires like Steve Randall, who I always liked to stand next to. He always had a pocket filled with sweets, which he generously shared with all the fielders within his range. And hey, who doesn't like sweets?
The umpire as a species had remained constant for generations. But suddenly, there is change, evolution, startling growth. And to my mind, it is benefitting the game to an immense degree.
L Sivaramakrishnan
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