Oz Media Gets behind India on Umpiring Shockers


PTI

Sydney, Jan 4: Known to be hostile to visiting teams, even the Australian media could not help commiserating with the Indian cricketers, who bore the brunt of the most shocking umpiring blunders in the second cricket Test against Ricky Ponting's side here.

In a hard-hitting column, 'Sydney Morning Herald' cricket writer Peter Roebuck said Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson spoilt what was a superb day of cricket.

"Alas, their errors changed the mood of the match. As usual, the weaker side suffered the rough end of the stick. It is hard enough to win in Australian without standing helpless as players of the calibre of Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds are given a second opportunity to build a substantial score," he wrote.

Umpires made four blunders yesterday and India were the worst hit with three of them going against them.
   
Roebuck wrote that Bucknor was past his prime and should have retired after the World Cup in West Indies.

"Indeed, he was expected to retire after the World Cup. Those responsible for allowing him to linger were also partly responsible for a decision that changed the course of the dayand possibly the match and series,"

The 'Herald Sun', meanwhile, said Wednesday's incidents brought the "dwindling umpiring standards" into focus. 
   
"Symonds' heroic knock of 137 not out rescued Australia from serious trouble in the second Test in Sydney against a resurgent India, but not without a controversial helping hand from umpire Steve Bucknor," wrote the newspaper.

  

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Comment on this article

  • Alfred j. Rebello, Kundapur/Dubai

    Mon, Jan 07 2008

    Perhaps after umpiring more than 100 tests Steve Bucknor must have developed eye sight & hearing difficiency by continously seeing the ball, bat, the wicket and the 22 players. He can not even hear the sound with microphone. And for seeing the ball, whether it hit the bat or pad or not hit at all, he perhaps need a binocular. But I blame part to ICC because they are the one who still keep people like Bucknor around though many young Umpires avalible from the sub-continent.

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  • Kevin Lobo, Mangalore

    Sun, Jan 06 2008

    BCCI is dumb spectator in this issue. Who knows who has got the money to shut thier mouths? This is really the tragedy. If the umpires do this deliberately then cricket is going to be finished. Players are also not showing any sportsmanship. Gone are the days some great cricketers of yesteryear were used to walk out of the crease when they think that they were "out" without waiting for the umpires decision.

    All Cricket boards should come together and work for the betterment of the game. Those umpires found guilty should be sacked from Umpires panel and they should be made answerable. Most of the umpiring decisions go against teams from sub continent. Regret to say that in most of the cases only sub continent players are punished for onfield behaviour.

    For Steve Bucknor this is not the first time he is giving wrong decisions against India. He has done several times before and will repeat the same. But hats off to Indian team who gave a fitting reply inspite of wrong decisions.

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  • denzil fernandes, dubai

    Sun, Jan 06 2008

    Umpire Bucknor should be sacked. There are no two opinions about it. The notorious West Indies umpire should have been pensioned off long ago. In fact, he has somehow found the Indians not to his liking and has been always involved in some horrible decisions against the Indian team.

    The second test in Sydney against the Australians found India suffering because of Bucknor's poor umpiring. The ICC should take note of such inability and get the best in the elite panel to officiate such important test matches. One felt that Bucknor should have gone off last year but he has lingered on and enjoyed at the cost of giving wrong decisions in the matches officiated by him.

    No doubt, Bucknor has enjoyed his time in the middle and it is time for him to hang his coat and look after his grandchildren. If the decisions had not gone wrong, India probably would have been in the driver's seat in the Sydney test. Shall we then say bye bye to umpire Steve Bucknor from the tests one final time?

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