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By Aman Modi

From Muttiah Muralitharan being called for chucking, to Sachin Tendulkar being given out leg before for ducking to a low short ball that hit him on his shoulder, to the dubious decision-making in the Sydney Test that could have won India the away series against Australia, to recently concluded India’s tour of Pakistan, umpires have been raising questions over their abilities of judging the game of cricket.

But, has this ability really taken such a free fall? One of the reasons we feel so is our perceptions and the fervor with which we support out national cricket team. In India, for example, the job of the cricket captain is the 2nd most important [and at times the most important] job in the country after the premier. This, more often than not, makes us look for scapegoats, and umpires are easy scapegoats, aren’t they?

Umpiring errors are just good or bad luck, and luck almost always evens itself up. Like in the recently concluded series, if the decisions in the Multan Test went India’s way, those in the Lahore Test went Pakistan’s. But, the supporters of both teams plunged deep to think that umpire’s had a hand in fixing the matches, or as in Steve Bucknor’s case, having a vendetta against a particular side. What this suggests is a very immature attitude on behalf of both groups of fans. Are we not grown up enough to accept that our team has lost and take the loss on the chin? Are we not grown up enough to agree to the fact that the better team on the day won? Are we not grown up enough to say that the other team batted, bowled and fielded well and held their nerve in the moments of unbearable pressure and deservedly ran away with the win?

Talking about the standards of umpiring, if one asks me if umpires hold a vendetta or are they biased, the answer is no, but if I am asked if the standards have fallen, the answer is an emphatic yes. Yes, I agree that we see the pictures on telly and from a zillion different angles and in slow-motion. The umpire watches it from one angle and in real time, amidst mind-numbing sounds made by tens of thousands of spectators [somehow elusive in the Tests in Pakistan] and should be allowed his space. But is that an excuse for giving away leg before from deliveries pitching 8 inches outside leg stump? Or giving away plumb leg before decisions as not out? Or missing clear-cut snicks and edges? Of course not!

While on one hand technology has helped making correct decisions, it has also had its share in making the umpires less sharper. This would be fine, if the umpires would be less sharp and then rely on technology. But they are less sharp, and do not want to take help of the technology. Action replays could be used to give decisions for close leg before and catching decisions, and should be.

This would, though, be a quick fix to the problem. The real problem lies in the falling standards. And ICC must look at improving the standard before the situation starts getting out of hand, which, I doubt, it has! Some people suggest introduction of a ranking standards for umpires, just like the one for players. While, it is easy to say so, it will be really difficult to implement a ranking system. Most of the ranking systems are based on statistics and statistics would not be able to determine a good or a bad decision – unless of course you classify the decisions as just right or wrong. But if we can get around this, a ranking system sounds to be a very good proposition, at least as long as it intends not to show people down in comparison to each other, but to breed positive competition.

In the long run, however, ICC can take inspiration from FIFA. All the football referees have to undergo formal refereeing training, and earn their badges. It is after the training that the referees start officiating in the matches in lower divisions, gradually moving up the ladder until the diamonds are polished to perfection for the international standard. ICC would do well to make all its umpires to go through this rigorous training and coming of age to stand in international matches.

Let me close at a hopeful note that the people at the helm of ICC would look into this matter seriously and come up with a practicable solution to this problem.
 

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