These days umpires are playing more than players, and they behave in the most unprofessional manner. Sehwag expressed his dissent in the most professional way, I believe. And I don't think the cricket law makers have done the right job by allowing and umpire to complain about the players, while the revers is not allowed. It is high time people like Steve Buckner retires
Hi, I half agree with you on the appeals part. Why I don't fully agree is explainable. I work in a corporate IT world. Here, saying something against your boss to your boss's boss is sacrilege and taboo. It does undermine your boss's sanctity and integrity. Same is the case with the field umpires. Cricket by far has been changing and should. but just because other games have stuff like that, doesnt mean we should do the same. The thing is that, we dont ahve such stuff in our game, so its different. Undermining a field umpire might do a 360 appraisal wonders on the umpire once or twice. But doing that as a legal practice and continuing such things on and on will actually cost them their pride and integrity. That will also let sledgers, and faulty players go scot free. If a bad decision stumps players, let it be. Let that be sporting and let them take it sportingly. We can only hope that we do better next time. Just because Sehwag was done out by a wrong decision doesnt mean its the end of the road. If he were to score a century, he could as well have done it in the first innings itself. So no frets. Even Gilly got a bad decision, but he is living with it, ain't he?
Strange how the Aussies get away with dissent and vociferous appealing on the field, but the Indians are fined. I also remember how Sachin was fined for tampering with the ball, when he was only feeling the seam - everyone knows Sachin bites his nails and hence cannot tamper with the ball using just his bare hands! Then there was an incident with Dravid and coloured candy/gum! Maybe the fact that Indian cricketers are rolling in the moolah has something to do with this - maybe this is how the ICC gets some of the match fees back, figuring the players will never miss it!? But that's not cricket - it leaves the impression that somehow the Indian players display less sportsmanship than the others. I also thought it was really nice of Jason Gillespie to walk - but he probably knew the umpires would gift him something in return? And also wanted to be spared the embarrassment of being found "not out" on that particular occasion? On the whole the neutral upmpires come across as anything but neutral when they umpire in and India vs XX match - the dice are loaded against India, it appears. It's time to give a few of them a rest, maybe even retire them.
If I'd have been in place of Sehwag, I'd have asked the refrees to fine me full 100% of match fees, but allow me to appeal to a wrong decision. He's going through a lean patch and a bad decision will only harm him more.
Umpires in cricket should be tested for their fitness in terms of reaction time, hearing, influence to external environment etc. They should be checked before every series before appointment : just as in football.
Controvertial decisions have to be appealed : there was a game in which the batsman asked the umpire to refer to the third umpire by drawing a rectangle screen! He was not fined. It just shows :The human element in the game should be removed as much as possible by taking help of technology. All this controversy will then be minimised hopefully !!
The most important reason to check the Player'a behaviour on the 'field' by any attempt to resent, as I see things could be to avoid a 'Big Flare Up' by the crowd which could end up as uncontrolable. If that is so then why should the Player not be allowed to explain his case rather than his having to adopt an easy way out by admitting his 'fault'. In many foreign countries when a person is alledgedly caught for shop lifting many a times he or she is advised to accept and pay the fine. The other option is to 'deny' the charge and go to jail and hope to win an appeal! I hope Shewag was not under any compulsion of the rules - "acept or else face the threat of '2 match ban'".
I wish to offer one modification to the Author's suggestion. If an appeal gets a favorable verdict the team should not be 'docked ' from its quota of 3 appeals. There is no guarantee that Umpire's behaviour is going to improve as he is likely to take the attitude "let the player use his appeal-option".
I think its high time that there should be at least some mechanism whereby even umpires can be accountable for their blatantly wrong decisions. Aggreed umpires have to perform a very tricky job and they are under tremndous pressure. But at least there should be ways and means where judgement faculties of umpires could be put to test. Its hard to explain how nearly all the judgmental errors can go against one team. Although there is a mechanism in place where a team management can write a report about umpires to ICC but the question is does the ICC do anything about it. For example during last years Indian tour of Australia one could easily see how biased Bukaner was against Indian team and Ganguly also had written a report against his behaviour but to no avail. I think its high time that more and more technology be introduced to arrive at fair judgement. I just fail to understand why hawk eye can't be put to use in making decisions like LBWs etc when technology is already being used to find out whether the fielder cleanly stopped the bowl going over the rope.
