A view from the Gully (4 June 1999)

4 June 1999

A view from the Gully

Tawfiq Aziz Khan

Cricket has been transformed into a video game that is played by live characters instead of simulated ones. The limited overs version has given the dwindling game a boost that otherwise would have been impossible without the help of computers and satellites. The once gentle game of the 'gentlemen' has caught the men on the streets with fever and it is no longer an exclusive domain of the high and the mighty or the rich and the privileged. In spite of being one of the largest spectator sports, cricket has also grown into a multi-billion dollar industry having a clientele in the most densely populated areas of the world. We owe our gratitude to the TV channels, satellite companies and multinationals and large and small business houses for promoting and supporting this wonderful game and reaching it to the homes of billions across the continents.

With the introduction and use of the most modern gadgets and the extremely powerful camera lenses in the satellite telecast, the viewing pleasure has increased immensely and the slow-motion replays have made the viewers more knowledgeable and the umpires more vulnerable. Even the experts appear like ordinary viewers in many cases. These sensitive and powerful electronic gadgets have made the job difficult for the umpires, the experts and also the players because whatever they do on the ground are flashed on millions of screens watched closely by billions of viewers.

But not always have we seen top class camerawork in this World Cup. There were times when important footage of replay was not shown and the viewer had to form their own opinion about an appeal or a decision by the umpires. Even if the third umpire should come into picture only in case of stumping or runout, umpires have been going back to replays to ascertain a boundary or a six and even a catch. The competition is so stiff and stakes are so high that neither the contesting teams nor the umpires are willing to take chances and leave decisions to uncertainty. Even there are umpires who committed blunders going through the replays a numbers of times. Ken Palmer gave two atrocious decisions against South Africans Shaun Pollock and Daryll Cullinan in their match against Sri Lanka. Marvyn Dillon's stumping by Moin Khan could not be established as footage of replay could not be shown by the third umpire and the benefit of doubt was given to the batsman. But Shane Warne was proved wrong by the replay as he claimed a catch off a bumpball. There were quite a few of these in the first round.

The most glaring examples of misjudgment can be detected in the leg before decisions. Not that all of them are deliberate. There are human errors in judgment but when the replays are shown the mistakes come out prominent. That is when a viewer becomes critical of the umpire who had in all his earnestness committed an error in judgment. But the caught behind of Michael Bevan against Pakistan, the lbw appeal against Steve Waugh were glaring mistakes. The umpire could very well consult the leg umpire or the third umpire for the caught behind appeal. But Rudy Koertzen of South Africa was so annoyed with Shoaib Akhter that he did not find it worthwhile.

English and Australian commentators are too many in number. The Indians have a large share also because they have the target viewers and the market. But there were few from New Zealand, West Indies, Pakistan and South Africa. There was none from Kenya, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Scotland. So when these countries played there was hardly a friendly voice. These countries had to depend on the sympathy of others. Even though the common belief is that the commentators should speak from a neutral position but in practice it hardly happened. The Australian battery was always backing their own team; Tony Greig and Bill Lawry are the main actors followed by Ian Chappell. Sunil Gavaskar, a very circumspect gentleman, most of the time talked like 'his prodigy's voice'.

We can only hope, we will have less of these from the next round beginning today.

Source :: The Daily Star