Dhoni fined ...... for voicing on rank bad decision !!

There have been prejudices ~  there was gag on commenting on order of One Judge – but when another acquitted, people are freely accusing him of money involvement !  .....

We have heard this so many times – at the post-match conference, the losing Captain would say – ‘the first session was crucial, we did not start well, a couple of bad decisions, tough decisions, a couple of bad shots. We were at the receiving end’ ...............  and the hard fact that there have been poor Umpiring decisions which have marred the game and changed the course.  Umpiring errors are not uncommon – once in Australia, Bruce Oxenford, gave a batsman out on referral, but later retracted stating that he had pushed the wrong button – when there are only two !!

Remember that in 1975 tour, crowds chanted ‘sivasankaraiah ...... something rhyming but not good to be written here’....  Indian board peculiarly had the habit of restraining the Team captain in not talking to Press – but allowing visiting teams – thus in 1983 at Motera, Ahmedabad, when Kapil Dev had rattled WI clearly, Clive Lloyd criticised the Umpires and on the last days, a couple of Lbws were not given – the lead increased, and Kapil’s 9/83 went in vain.

Recently, in the QF of WC 2015, when Bangladesh lost to India – hundreds gathered in the streets of Dhaka, burnt  effigy of Pakistani cricket umpire Aleem Dar  chanting slogans and  calling it ‘ICC conspiracy’,”  it was a  109-run defeat and for sure Rohit Sharma’s decision would never have altered the fate of the match.   In 1981 at Melbourne, Dennis Lillee appealed against Gavaskar, umpire Rex Whitehead raised the finger. Gavaskar was adamant that the ball had hit his bat on the way to the pad. In protest of the decision, he stood his ground even after being given out. The comments of lillee and others infuriated him further, as he pulled out the non-striker Chetan Chauhan and started walking off the pitch.  A timely intervention by Manager  Durrani and Assistant Manager Bapu Nadkarni ensured continuance – ‘smoke was coming out of ears and i heard nothing’- Gavaskar was to say later on that. 

Showing dissent on field is one and making comments on them  is another .....

Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been  fined 10 per cent of his match fee for “inappropriate public comments” on a doubtful lbw decision given to Dwayne Smith during the first qualifier of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament against Mumbai Indians. Following his side’s 25-run defeat to Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Dhoni referred to opener Dwayne Smith’s dismissal and called it a “horrible decision”. “We lost momentum in the middle, and not to forget Smith got a horrible decision,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Smith was adjudged LBW after being struck on the pads off a full-toss from Lasith Malinga in the first over. Replays showed that ball would have gone down the leg side by some margin.

Later Dhoni admitted the level 1 offence (Article 2.1.7 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials) and accepted the sanction. Sounds in appropriate – it was indeed a poor decision, it was not protested on the field – but to say that it should not be commented upon at all, sounds too autocratic. It is time, Umpires are penalised for their errors, and unfortunately, the Indian board is adamantly against DRS.

Way back in 1978, Bishan Bedi forfeited the 3^rd One dayer protesting the blatant Umpiring decisions in failing to call wides.   It was to be a 40 over a side affair – Pak made 205 with Asif Iqbal topscoring with 62.   Kapil Dev, Venkatraghavan, and Mohinder took 2 apiece.   India made 183 in 37.4 overs; 23  to be made in 14 balls with 8 wickets in hand – Bedi had to react as Sarfraz kept bowling bouncers and short pitched ones beyond the reach and 4 of them continuously were not called wides.  Bedi realized there was no point in continuing and angrily conceded – which could create a great furore in modern time but went unpunished that day.  Chetan Chauhan and Anshuman Gaekwad had opened the batting – Surinder departed at 163 making 62.  Gaekwad with 78 and Gundappa Viswanath with 8 were at the crease – with Mohinder, Kapil, Ghavri, Bharat Reddy, Venkat and Bedi to follow – when Bedi took that decision to concede the match. 

Umpiring decisions are not to be protested is understandable, but to say that they should not be commented upon, is not good for  the game.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

21^st May 2015.