Informed Commentary on the DRS in Cricket: CMJ, Tissera, Mahela and Others

Michael Roberts

I insert a series of opinions on the working of the DRS system from ex-cricketers and knowledgeable observers, commentary that is spiced at the end by Mahela Jayawardene’s response to questions from Tony Greig at a critical point during the Second Test match versus England in Sri Lanka. The sequence here is as follows

 

A: A web site reference to my slashing criticism of Indian cricketers and the Indian board for their position on the DRS in cricket, namely, Hegemonic Idiocy: BCCI and Dhoni on the DRS in cricket http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/hegemonic-idiocy-bcci-and-dhoni-on-the-drs-in-cricket/

B: my “Exploring Reader Opinion, an Addendum” in http://www.islandcricket.lk/columns/michael_roberts/168720221/exploring-reader-opinions-an-addendum ……………..which, alas, drew no comment.

UDRS: Bane or Boon?

Mahinda Wijesinghe … being a reprint of an old article

Efforts by the ICC for the Umpires’ Decision Referral System sometimes also known as Umpires’Decision Review System being introduced into international cricket (UDRS) has been drawing quite a lot of flak in recent times. In laymen’s term it simply means that each side is allowed to appeal against the field umpire’s decision perceived to have been incorrect. Originally each side was allowed three such challenges, currently it has been restricted to two. The fielding side may question a ‘not out’ decision give by the field umpire while a batsman can dispute an ‘out’ call. Then the Third Umpire comes into play. The latter will review the decision with the technology available to him and then relay his findings to the field umpire to make the final call. If a team’s challenge results in a call being reversed, they can continue to challenge throughout the innings until they make two failed challenges. 

Graeme Swann plays down the wrong line on ‘cheat’ Dilruwan Perera

Vic Marks, in The Guardian, 9 March 2012

Sri Lanka the gentlest, most languorous country of Asia, where everybody smiles beguilingly – Arthur C Clarke thought it was the best place in the world from which to view the universe. Legend has it that this is where butterflies come to die. But currently Graeme Swann seems rather less enamoured with the country.

After a satisfactory opening match for the tourists, Swann confided afterwards that he “wanted to kill” Dilruwan Perera. He accused the Sri Lankan of cheating and questioning the integrity of the England captain. Perera had stood his ground after Andrew Strauss, at first slip, had claimed a catch off the bowling of Jimmy Anderson in the final innings of the warm-up game in Colombo. The umpire declined to raise his finger, there was no DRS in use, and, according to Swann, Perera “stood right next to me with a smug look on his face”. Swann lamented: “We live in an age where cheating is accepted.”

Pic by Getty Images

Swann, we know, can be a delight. He is an admirable cricketer, who plays the game in the right way. Afterwards he pitches up for press conferences with a smile and once they are over dutiful correspondents are rarely left scratching their heads for something to write. He likes to entertain; for him a good one-liner is as irresistible as a wide half-volley; he is prepared to speak his mind often with colourful images. And we are grateful.

Making a Fetish out of “human error”: BCCI and Dhoni on the DRS in Cricket

SEE http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/hegemonic-idiocy-bcci-and-dhoni-on-the-drs-in-cricket/

OR http://www.islandcricket.lk/columns/michael_roberts/160450219/drs-indias-hegemonic-idiocy

Dhoni’s Sensible Equanimity in Reviewing Matches Past

Michael Roberts, courtesy of http://www.islandcricket.lk/columns/michael_roberts/159360216/no-baloney-from-praiseworthy-dhoni where a different tile was used

Many cricket fans would continue to marvel at the coolness and authority displayed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in crunch situations at the end of tense ODI matches. But let me highlight and praise Dhoni’s balanced commentary in reviewing India’s performances and unfortunate moments after a match is over. His equanimity and reasonableness is praiseworthy.

Several years back I was able to sneak into a media review at the end of a match where India had beaten Sri Lanka at Adelaide Oval, an occasion where Dhoni fronted up for the Indian squad he captained. I was impressed by his clinical commentary and clarity of expression. More recently, he faced the press in adverse circumstances after the Australian Test series where India was trounced and his own batting was rather disappointing. He avoided clichés and accepted India’s shortcomings four square.

Likewise, after the pulsating and historic tie between Indian and Sri Lanka at Adelaide Oval on the 14^th February he referred to his own fatal error when India was on top, that is the moment where he sparked Gambhir’s run-out [though replays viewed subsequently told me that Gambhir had also contributed to it in not diving for the crease, while we must also mark Kulasekara’s fielding as top-drawer].

All you wanted to know about Saeed Ajmal

Andrew Hughes in ESPN cricinfo, 7 February 2012

What’s the difference between a nuclear fallout and a media fallout*? Well, a nuclear fallout is a deeply unpleasant side effect that lingers interminably, whereas a media fallout is a deeply unpleasant side effect that lingers interminably for which journalists get paid.

Early in the recent series, a few English types tried to launch the Saeed Ajmal crooked arm thing, but like a poorly constructed kite on a windless afternoon, it didn’t really take off, no matter how much they ran with it. In the end it was left to Saeed himself to take pity on the struggling hacks by talking about his special dispensation from the ICC to have a bent arm or something. I forget the details.

And as sure as the doosra follows Ian Bell’s front pad, a little typhoon of tediousness blew up in the desert as journalists and message board trolls desperately tried to fan the infant spark of baby controversy into a toddler-sized blaze. Yesterday, ESPNcricinfo’s own King Cnut, George Dobell, tried valiantly to stand against the waves of silliness by laying out the facts about Saeed’s perfectly legal action.

FOR RESTs, SEE http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/thelonghandle/archives/2012/02/all_you_wanted_to_know_about_s.php

Murali and Fleming launch Cric I-Pad in Colombo

Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming and world’s highest  wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan introduce a new application called CRIC HQ in  Colombo on Wednesday. Sri Lanka was the first of the Asian countries to be  introduced the New Zealand product which helps to update the events of any  cricket match via the use of an iPad.

Picture by Saman Abeysiriwardene

courtesy of Island

 

Murali and Flemming suggest ways of transforming cricket

By Ranjan ANANDAPPA in Sunday Observer 12 Feb 2012

Champion off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the highest wicket taker in both versions of the game (Test and ODI) and former New Zealand skipper Stephen Flemming along with Dialog launched yet another first to transform and revolutionize cricket by introducing DialogCricHQ.Com at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Oak Room .

Incursions and Excursions in and around Sri Lankan Cricket

BOOK EVENT at Premadasa Stadium in 2011 – courtesy of http://www.islandcricket.lk/columns/michael_roberts/155590201/incursions-and-excursions-in-and-around-sri-lankan-cricket

This presentation of my book Incursions and Excursions in and around Sri Lankan Cricket occurred at the R. Premadasa Stadium last year, during the World Cup 2011 squad’s practice session. It was deliberately timed before the quarter-finals of the World Cup because this author holds that the plaudits that should be extended to the cricketers remain valid, irrespective of the joys or sorrows attending the outcome of one game.

This gesture marks my appreciation of the achievements secured by the various Sri Lankan squads in recent years and, most significantly, the measured and calm manner in which they responded to the terrorist attack in Lahore on March 3, 2009, an event that is reviewed as Chapter VI in this book.

The book is available at Vijitha Yapa bookshops and at www.vijithayapa.com

                                                                                                                                                                     Pics by Eranga Jayawardena

 

India as Cricketing Goliath that is yet Dinosaur

Quote of the day from Ramesh Thakur: “In rejecting the use of the best available technology to assist umpires and rectify the few mistakes they make, the BCCI has also shown itself to be a dinosaur. In effect, the BCCI position is: technology cannot guarantee 100 per cent accuracy, so we will stay with 80 per cent accuracy rather than move to 90 per cent.”

Web Editor: I have welcomed the DRS system from its first inception and cannot understand the argument sof such dinosaurs as bRad Hoog who pine for the return of the ‘human element” –their euphemism for retatingin old ways — in this particualr sphere. Again, my evaluation of Sachin Tendulkar as cricketing great will be severely constrained by the fact that he is said to be one of the forces who have resisted the DRS in the Indian cricketing world view (grapevine information).

ICC told that corruption extends beyond the field

Michael Atherton, courtesy of The Times and The Weekend Australian 17-18 december 2011

GIVEN the scandals that have enveloped the game since the veil was lifted on the activities of several players during the 1990s, it is only natural that when the word “corruption” is uttered, attention falls on the cricketers themselves. Transparency International, an organisation committed to challenging corruption worldwide, made an important contribution to clearing up some of those misconceptions this week.

Cricket is not the kind of playing field that TI normally steps on to, but it was encouraged to do so partly by the wide-ranging nature of the consultation over the ICC’s governance review that closed last week. TI released a number of recommendations for the ICC to consider before the publication of the review, the most important of which was to remind people that on-field corruption is just a small part – albeit the most damaging part – of the temptations that envelop the game as a whole.