Hansie's earpiece and Warne's outburst (27 May 1999)

27 May 1999

Hansie's earpiece and Warne's outburst

Richard Dwight

Some of us were humoured, amused if you like, to find the ideal elegant looking South African Captain Hansie Cronje sporting an earpiece on the field, when the Indians were batting. Hansie has come to be regarded as a well established, accomplished all-round leader of international class. And as such has no need to have recourse to receive instructions through an earpiece, especially while on the field, where he as skipper is expected to be in control. It's simply quite out of place and does not fit in with his widely accepted cricketing personality. Furthermore, indirectly it is a manifestation of a lack confidence in himself, the inability to act independently and an insult to his own cricketing experience acquired through the years. Not to mention the lowering of his stature and esteem amongst the players he leads.

In this regard, at a panel discussion the other day the interviewer asked Allan Lamb and Tony Greig as to what their views were on the affixing of an earpiece while on the field.

Whilst Greig remained non committal, Lamb on the other hand said that we live in an era of technological advances and must make use of them - going on to commend the enterprising innovation of coach Bob Woolmer and Cronje's right in having access to it. Our observation however is, that the acknowledged practice is for the captain, if he so wished, to receive guidance during the intervals and in the dressing room or elsewhere. But certainly not through an earpiece on the field, so as to devalue, and make him look stupid in the eyes of millions watching.

What is significant to note is that the cricket syndrome has much to do with nature. Played in the open on turf, has to contend with early morning dew and dampness, fluctuations in bright and mild sunshine, breeze, cloud cover, rain etc, in short the elements and not forgetting as well human error, be it from the captain or his mates. All this and more in its entirety accounts for the element of risk, that leads to cricket's glorious uncertainties. This in a sense is the backbone of the game to make it so enthralling. Reduce or minimise this through erosions into cricket, in the name and guise of technological advances then, the quintessence of the game itself is lost.

True the third umpire although away from the field of play, has become well established and proved useful. But what has been achieved in the process, is to make the umpires out there in the middle increasingly complacent and less alert. They tend to abdicate their responsibilities, broadening out the areas of decision making to the third umpire and relying much more on him to make them (out in centre) in a sense redundant.

Reverting back to the interviewer on the panel discussion, he did for want of time, gloss over the recriminations that ensued between Shane Warne and Arjuna Ranatunga and, so did Lamb and Greig. But our view on this, is that Warne could not have been so brazenly bold to say what he said about Arjuna, without perhaps the support and backing of some Sri Lankans now domiciled in Australia, with a particular cricketer in mind, who may have apprised him on the goings on here. Arjuna who is without peer, when it comes to reserving choice epithets of invective for his adversaries, struck hard while the iron was hot. Though Arjuna's rejoinder is factually correct he could have done better to exercise tact and diplomacy to confine his comments to Warne's cricket and not embarrassingly draw the country at large into this.

From it we stand exposed, with the emerging question as to what we, as a people with a culture and history of 2500 years have been doing all these years to raise the standard and quality of life, as against Australia.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)