After being 20 per cent of his match-fees for showing dissent Gujarat’s loss in the Irani Cup, captain Parthiv Patel has called for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to appoint better umpires in domestic cricket.
“I obviously cannot talk anything about my decision but overall, it is very unfortunate to see that there are a few guys who are making so many mistakes and you see them in big games,” Patel said. “It’s unfortunate to see guys who keep on making mistakes and you see them going on (officiating) in big games like a semifinal, final and Irani Cup.”
He didn’t make any reference to umpire Virender Sharma, whose decision to rule Patel out on the third day of the Irani Cup tie received a spontaneous response of “ Umpiring karte kyun ho (why do you even officiate)?” from the batsman. However, Patel’s statement on Tuesday wasn’t only aimed at Sharma.
Appointments of match officials – including umpires and match referees – have traditionally been based on the favours doled out by the powers prevailing in the BCCI. While the managers had tried to put a system in place about awarding the best umpires with the best matches for a few years starting late last decade, the past couple of seasons has seen the clock turning back.
As a result, the BCCI has not really appointed the best umpires for the most important games of the season. It has resulted in umpires committing errors that have impacted results.
Even in the league stage of the Ranji Trophy, the umpiring standards were ordinary. Since the players and coaches are not allowed to comment, at least half a dozen captains and coaches of Ranji teams have complained to Sportstar about umpiring standards in private.
To add to the teams’ misery, for the last couple of seasons, the BCCI has stopped seeking a report from captains of both teams at the end of every first-class game. All the teams can hope for is to raise the concerns in the captains and coaches conclave during the off-season and hope they are addressed in future.
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