Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The debate is already on about the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS),after what transpired at the Chinnaswamy stadium,where the television umpire declined to overturn a leg before decision against Ian Bell in Indias favour despite Hawkeye showing the ball hitting middle stump.
What is more important to think for a moment is what,thankfully,didnt happen in that jam-packed 41,000-seater on Sunday night. A decision unexpectedly going against India,that too after a series of replays on the giant screen,is a potential disaster waiting to happen. The last thing the ICC would want after the stadium and ticket fiasco is a crowd trouble disrupting a game. What if it was a knockout game instead of a harmless league game? What if India had lost?
It is difficult for a partisan fan to understand the 2.5-metre clause in the UDRS,which states that if the point of impact is more than 2.5 meters from the stumps,the decision remains in the hands of the on-field umpire. So why show the blue line or Hawkeye on the giant screen?
Colin Gibson,the ICCs head of media and communications,says,From the ICCs perspective,they dont consider the fans sitting at the stadium any less informed than the ones sitting at home. So its important for them to know what happened in the replay.
The rules about the UDRS are such to allow the on-field umpire some oxygen even as technology creeps in to shadow their existence. MS Dhoni and other skippers may have to give the UDRS a fair go before forming a strong opinion.
Adulteration is quite bad,whether it is natural or technology, Dhoni said. I think the adulteration of technology with human intention was the reason why we didnt get that wicket. Hopefully next time,it will be (either) technology or human intention.
Bell admitted he was surprised to be given not out. When a decision gets reviewed,you can see everything as it unfolds on the big screen, Bell said the next morning. When I saw it pitch in line and hit the stumps,I thought that was it. I wasnt aware of the rule of how far you had to be down the wicket.
Its strange,to be honest with you,if you see Hawkeye saying its going to hit the stumps. But thats the rule,I guess,and were not going to be able to change that for this World Cup.
Given that two players in the middle didnt know the intricacies of the rule,its too much to expect from the average fan. Keeping the replays away from the stadium crowd is a better way to deal with the situation,especially in the sub-continent.
Strauss gets away twice
England captain Andrew Strauss was dismissed after scoring a scintillating 145-ball 158 and almost singlehandedly won England the game against India.
But now it turns out that he got away twice,edging Zaheer Khan on both the occasions,as the Indian skipper failed to pick up the nicks. Batting on 13,Strauss edged Zaheer,but Dhoni did not appeal. 90 runs later,Strauss got a similar break,again off Zaheers bowling.
