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Should "home" umpires be re-introduced into test cricket?

Slow Love™

International Captain
Tony Grieg, Mark Taylor and Ian Smith have been arguing this morning during the coverage of the Aus v NZ test that home umpires should make a return to test cricket, and they're saying that the experiment of having "neutral" umpires has failed.

I think it's been prompted by the idea that Aleem Dar (who has rejected some close LBW calls) doesn't understand Australian pitches, and thinks the ball is going over the top (on an LBW call) when it isn't.

I'm inclined to disagree. Firstly, because I don't think that those arguing it would accept this rationale for subcontinental umpires umpiring in the subcontinent (and I disagree with one rule for some, and another for everybody else), and secondly, because the current arrangement is largely in place to offset "allegations" of national bias, as much as attempt to deal with the bias itself.

What are people's opinions on this?
 

Scallywag

Banned
You will never get two sets of supporters to agree on the umpiring (yes that includes the Aussies) its hard to accept bad decisions that go against your team but all to easy to forget decisions that go your way. Whatever whoever umpires will allways end it tears.
 

Sanz

Hall of Fame Member
No Way man. I think all these armchair experts are making things much more difficult for umpires. I dont how they can say that the concept of neutral umpring has failed, They should look at the some of those past series and see how biased home umpires used to be in the favor of home team.

I will take a bad decision over a biased decision any day.
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Great post Scallywag.

Why bother? The whole idea of removing home umpires was to remove allegations of home bias, and it has worked. The only allegations of bias (on this board and from what I've hear in conversations with people) have been against Bucknor, and that's all. No one else has really complained about bias. We've complained about bad umpiring, but there's obviously been no malice involved.

It'd be a step backwards in my opinion, and I don't think Aleem Dar has done badly. I reckon he's done pretty well, especially his handling of the Warne situation.

As I type this, Bucknor made a pretty bad decision against McCullum with a caught behind. Now if that was an Aussie umpire, allegations may arise. But since it's not, I'm sure it'll be passed as "Oh well, bad umpiring happens". The removal of home umpires was a rare good move by the ICC.

I'd also like to add that Mark Taylor's commentary regarding the issue was stupid. "The team that plays aggressively usually gets the decisions going their way". Says who? That's just plain stupid really.
 

Crazy Sam

International 12th Man
i actually totally agree with tony greig and co. As they said, it is a farce that umpires such as Simon Taufel are overseas so often, it wouldn't surprise me if he retired well before his time.

I think the best thing the ICC did was establish an 'Elite panel' of umpires. Surely if they are professional then bias shouldn't come into it?? Granted there were a few Australian umpires a couple of years ago who made ordinary calls but they wouldn't have made the panel, and some of the umpires that have been to Australia have been very dreadful since.

I think 1 home, 1 international is fair enough.
 

C_C

International Captain
Crazy Sam said:
i actually totally agree with tony greig and co. As they said, it is a farce that umpires such as Simon Taufel are overseas so often, it wouldn't surprise me if he retired well before his time.

I think the best thing the ICC did was establish an 'Elite panel' of umpires. Surely if they are professional then bias shouldn't come into it?? Granted there were a few Australian umpires a couple of years ago who made ordinary calls but they wouldn't have made the panel, and some of the umpires that have been to Australia have been very dreadful since.

I think 1 home, 1 international is fair enough.
so i guess if Ashoka deSilva at one end gives 8 Aussies out and Bucknor gives two of them out against SL, no one will whinge about the nationality of Ashoka ?

:D
 

Mr Casson

Cricketer Of The Year
In principle it sounds like a decent idea. The authorities just have to ignore all the muckrakers who want a new conspiracy theory to latch on to, and the others who just want a reason to excuse their teams inadequacies.

The bottom line is that the top umpires do not get to the top by being biased. It's up to those in charge of appointing the umpires to make sure that they are impartial and up to the job. If they are, there's nothing to be concerned about.
 

Scallywag

Banned
C_C said:
so i guess if Ashoka deSilva at one end gives 8 Aussies out and Bucknor gives two of them out against SL, no one will whinge about the nationality of Ashoka ?

:D
Change that to
so i guess if Ashoka deSilva at one end gives 8 Indians out and Bucknor gives two of them out against SL, they will whinge about bucknor.


Aussies dont complain about the umpires. Try and prove me wrong.
 

EnglishRose

School Boy/Girl Captain
Scallywag said:
Aussies dont complain about the umpires. Try and prove me wrong.
No they just complain about the pitches instead --
:D

They're substandard if they lose (e.g Mumbai) but if they win (e.g Darwin v SL) they're perfectly acceptable.
 

Scallywag

Banned
EnglishRose said:
No they just complain about the pitches instead --
:D

They're substandard if they lose (e.g Mumbai) but if they win (e.g Darwin v SL) they're perfectly acceptable.
Get your facts right englishrose, Ponting made that statement before the third day when Australia was in the better position, but your jealousy of our success will allways blind you to the facts now wont it.

Still being flogged repeatedly by Australia seems to take away englands ability to see things as they are.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
C_C said:
so i guess if Ashoka deSilva at one end gives 8 Aussies out and Bucknor gives two of them out against SL, no one will whinge about the nationality of Ashoka ?
It depends if it were 8 genuine dismissals or not.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Scallywag said:
Get your facts right englishrose, Ponting made that statement before the third day when Australia was in the better position, but your jealousy of our success will allways blind you to the facts now wont it.

Oh, the facts on here you mean?

The whinging was disgraceful, but for some reason you weren't around - unfortunately, you're like a bad smell that won't go away permanently.
 

telsor

U19 12th Man
I think that if they reintroduced 'home' umpires, the decisions they make would probably be better on average for just the reasons mentioned.

I also think that there would be MORE complaints about the umpires.

In an ideal world, where people accepted the umpires decision as final ( as it says it the rules ), it would be a good idea.....as it is, it's not a good idea.
 

Scallywag

Banned
marc71178 said:
Oh, the facts on here you mean?

The whinging was disgraceful, but for some reason you weren't around - unfortunately, you're like a bad smell that won't go away permanently.
Bad smells are a occupational hazard for those with their head up their ****.
 

C_C

International Captain
Scallywag said:
Change that to
so i guess if Ashoka deSilva at one end gives 8 Indians out and Bucknor gives two of them out against SL, they will whinge about bucknor.


Aussies dont complain about the umpires. Try and prove me wrong.
Yup, gives 8 indians/aussies/windians/englishmen etc etc out.......applies to all.
I can bring up the 1980s to show that the Aussies can be world class whingers too.
Simple human psychology is, when you are winning, you tend not to whinge.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Should "home" umpires be re-introduced into test cricket?

Better still. Have two sets of umpires. Each side brings their own and the umpire when their side is fielding !!

We need to level the playing field a bit in favour of the poor bowlers :p :p :p
 

tooextracool

International Coach
Sanz said:
No Way man. I think all these armchair experts are making things much more difficult for umpires. I dont how they can say that the concept of neutral umpring has failed, They should look at the some of those past series and see how biased home umpires used to be in the favor of home team.

I will take a bad decision over a biased decision any day.
2 things....
1) have umpiring decisions in ODIs over the last couple of years been dismal?
2) with so much test cricket going on and only 10 umpires on the panel, perhaps the number of poor decisions that we have seen over the last year or so, particularly from bucknor, might have to do with the fact that they are umpiring too much????
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
The only true way to settle this; when Australia bats, Glenn McGrath umpires until the first batsman on his team gets out then whoever gets out umpires. Then do the same for when the opposition bats. Amateur rules, ok?
 

Scallywag

Banned
Top_Cat said:
The only true way to settle this; when Australia bats, Glenn McGrath umpires until the first batsman on his team gets out then whoever gets out umpires. Then do the same for when the opposition bats. Amateur rules, ok?
I woudent but a ticket for the second days play under that scenario.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
have three umpires at each test and therefore umpires only officiate over two sessions in a day, reducing fatigue and lessening the load upon umpires, resulting in better decisions (hopefully)
 

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