Umpiring: It’s proving a bit too much for the Elite Eight

Unfortunately, in this series the umpiring has been pretty bad in spite of the help available with the third umpire. Ashoka de Silva has earned himself the sobriquet of ‘Atrocious’ de Silva after the pair he handed out to Ganguly at Chennai. At Kolkata it was Dravid’s turn to get one from Shepherd and another from de Silva.

Shepherd and de Silva are part of the Elite Panel of umpires of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The eight most competent persons in the opinion of the ICC are put on to this panel to judge the game of cricket around the world.

But the spate of bad decisions in recent series, not just the ongoing India-West Indies series, seems to indicate that the umpires have not been up to the mark. In earlier days when the umpires came from the host country there could have been a question of a bias. But not today as umpires from third countries stand in international matches.

Umpiring is very serious business. On the umpire’s finger rests the fate of not just 22 players but the aspirations and dreams of millions of people. A wrong decision can turn a game upside down, especially in the shorter version. And this can lead to some unwanted consequences in a cricket-crazy country like India.

There has been some talk about the excessive drinking habits of a couple of umpires on the circuit which, if true, is very unfortunate. Every 30ml of alcohol requires eight hours to get out of the system. Four large drinks would lurk in the system for the whole of next day’s game. An umpire, like a pilot, must be in complete control of all his faculties. And, like a pilot, the umpires must be put through fitness checks before they set out.

In other sports, like football, referees have to pass prescribed fitness tests. In cricket, it can be argued that the umpires don’t have to run around like football referees. True, but the cricket umpires have to stand for seven hours, sometimes in blistering heat, and watch every ball better than anybody else. To do it day after day for five days can become very taxing for those who either lack the discipline or the fitness.

A lot of cricket is being played these days and the job seems a bit much for a panel of just eight. The ICC must expand this exclusive panel and also prescribe fitness levels for these gentlemen. This job cannot be left anymore to people who had a fling with the game and took up umpiring after they failed to make it big as players. Umpiring must be treated as a specialised job and aspirants must go through different levels after passing successive grades.