• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Declining umpiring standards

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
I'm with S_L here; I don't think umpiring standards have slipped at all. Two things HAVE happened, though;

- Ability to pick up mistakes using technology made by umpires has increased exponentially.
- Based on that increased ability, the standard for 'good' and 'bad' decisions has correspondingly increased.

I do remember when seeing replays years ago (before 3rd umpires) where people would say something like "Oh well, that LBW, on replay, was relatively close but too close to give out." Now, the same LBW shout will be called a 'disgrace' just because Hawkeye says it was out. Umpires have a raw deal these days.

So, as I've been advocating for years now, forget sentiment and institute the use of technology wherever it can be (ie practical and accuracy considerations taken into account) and where it can't be, accept that umpires may make mistakes. Make all front-foot no-ball calls automatic (if the technology to do so is available), refer all stumpings , run-outs and disputed catches to the 3rd umpire (they virtually all go that way anyway so there will be barely any difference) and leave the field umpires to adjudicate LBW's and anything else that's left, accepting that humans make mistakes and until an acceptable alternative exists, they always will (Hawkeye doesn't count because it's an excellent guide but not a definitive tool for adjudicating LBW's/etc. just yet).
 

ColdSnow

School Boy/Girl Captain
thanks slow_love and top_cat for staying on topic and discussing this. I agree that our ability to find out the mistakes has increased exponentially. If that is the case, then we also have to increase the use of technology to reduce those mistakes. You gace some good ideas, T_C.

I have another idea...draw three lines up to quarter of the pitch from each side, in line with the three stumps. This will aid the umpire in giving more accurate LBW decisions.

I also feel that players have to take some responsibility. It really ****ed me off in that match when Haddin appealed for the catch off Harbhajan. He is standing two feet away from Harbhajan, he would know for sure that he did not nick it. The umpire standing 23 yards away has to give a decision? Same thing with the Tendulkar error...
 

Top