Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Taufel and Tendulkar

Everyone is talking how unfortunate Sachin Tendulkar was to miss out on yet another century when he was wrongly given out by Simon Taufel. More so when Taufel himself admitted it being wrong.

For me, it brings out three points:

1) If Taufel understood his mistake while seeing it on the big screen when Tendulkar was walking back, why did he not call Tendulkar back - like they had earlier called Pieterson back at Lord's?
2) What about so many other instances in the same innings when Tendulkar was out, but not given out ?
3) Even if Taufel would have called Tendulkar back and it would have been justice for the batsman, what about the instances when a player is out but not given out due to an umpiring error? Can the bowler also claim for similar justice?

This glorious game, sadly, is not perfect because it allows for these errors and mistakes to rule and decide the fate of the game being played.

That is why it is utmost important for those in governance to give more freedom to technology and to stop treating umpires as if they are gods. Someone at the top has to understand that umpires are human and if the umpires can take help technology, it will benefit the game in the long run. Why is it that umpires get away with their mistakes when players don't? The point is not that players should also get away, but that there should be no mistakes. That should be the aim of ICC.

Till the time this knowledge dawns upon them or they do something about it, there will be missed centuries, lost games, and god knows whether it is true, but fixed matches too!!!

3 comments:

Cuckoo said...

Good that you wrote, I was thinking of writing about it.

Everyone is cursing poor Taufel when today he is the best umpire. After all he is a human also.

To answer your 3 questions.
1) It is a personal choice at a particular moment.
2) People will prefer to call it as Sachin's luck instead of umpire's error.
3) As per the rules, the benefit of doubt always goes to the batsman. Bowlers just have to watch it.

I agree with you. To hell with ICC if it is not doing anything. I would love to see an umpire taking initiatives, waiting for a replay before raising his finger. And that way he'll rise in my eyes also. There shouldn't be any shame for taking help in deciding such things.
If umpires can come forward, slowly the scene will start changing. What do you say ?

Ranjeet said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ranjeet said...

Hi Cuckoo,

I agree with you.

But on point 1, I would like to have a process where a third or a fourth umpire can overrule a wrong decision of the on-field umpire - it should not be a personal choice.

The problem is that umpires are given "holier-than-thou" status on the ground and too many vested ICC interests prohibit any swift change in the way things stand.