Re: Cricket
 

Lots of stuff still going on about Broad. Heard Geoff Lawson banging on about how wrong Broad was and how he'd have walked had he edged a catch to 1st slip, but maybe not if it's been a very fine edge to the keeper. Well what's the difference? If we're going to get all moral then they both amount to cheating unless the batsman is genuinely unaware that he's made contact.

Anyway much is being made about this thick edge to 1st slip but what I see on the replay when it's slowed down is that Broad gets a very fine edge which, as the keeper is standing right up, then proceeds, in a split second, to hit the outside of the keeper's left glove and it's that which created the huge diversion we could all see of the ball going to first slip. I can see how, therefore, how the umpire might have thought the ball missed the bat and was deflected to the slips by the wicketkeeper, hence giving it not out. Anyway, it'd be interesting to know what the umpire had to say about this matter to his superiors after the close of play.

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I've heard lots sayng the umpires had a poor test and there is even talk from some that they should be dropped from test cricket. I agree there were a couple of dodgy decisions, but Aussie benefited from one dodgy decision, so getting one against them was a bit of payback to my mind.

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Indeed in my mind its all swings and roundabouts and all countries have to take the rough with the smooth.

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The fact is the umpires were very poor in the test, including the 3rd umpire. In my mind all 3 should be dropped, it's ok to make 1 or 2 mistakes but they seemed to make 1 or 2 each day of the test!

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And if you replace them with 3 more who says the decisions will be any better.

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At the moment you can't, there are only 12 umpires on the elite test panel and eight of them ( four each ) are English or Australian plus one from Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. By next January four umpires will have to stand in ten Ashes tests between them.

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I don't think, in general, that our umpires are really any better or worse than those in the past. Of course they're coming under much greater scrutiny and their mistakes are now highlighted with proof as opposed to conjecture. In the past stinkers used to be made and other than pretty dodgy TV footage there was no evidence upon which to base any criticism. How many tiny 'snicks', run outs and close LBW's were missed by umpires in the days before super slow motion, the snickometer, Hawkeye, hot spot etc.? What I do worry about is the availability (or not) of 'reviews' affecting their decision making process. The umpire should always make a decision based on what he sees/hears at the time and not whether one team or the other either has or hasn't got a review or two up their sleeve.

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I think Lawson is saying that if he know's he's edged it he would walk. Thin edges are hard to notice. When I played cricket there were countless times when I genuinely was not sure if I had edged it or not, so waited for the umpire to decide. If I knew I'd hit it then I'd be off. So the difference is whether you know you played it or not.

---------- Post added at 14:49 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------

Test cricket has changed a lot over the years. We now usually get results within 5 days, a lot of the times down to poor shots. I was reading an article that short form cricket has contributed to this. I think for people new to cricket, the short form, and test matches of today are more exciting and appealing. But I have to admit I prefer the short game more than the test matches of old.

Re: Cricket
 

I know what you mean but that is not how it came across to me. Australians are renowned for not walking and Adam Gilchrist was very much the exception. As I said before, plenty of cricketers have refused to walk in the past.

Talking of the 'spirit of the game' I recall when Greg Chappell ordered one of his bowlers to roll the final ball in a match against New Zealand in order to prevent the required 6 being scored. I've not been too keen on lectures on morality and the 'spirit of the game' from them ever since. ;)

Interestingly in my searches relating to the Broad incident and walking, I notice that that Ricky Ponting has, in the past, had quite a lot to say about Sachin Tendulkar being one of those who never walk. Hard to swallow from an Aussie who admitted the same policy...

http://www.topnews.in/sports/never-k...ponting-217944

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There's a very good write up in today's Times regarding Walking and Fair Play written by Matthew Syed (p.59) Really worth a read in light, especially in light of the recent posts.

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The only problem is The Times is behind a paywall so l can't see it.

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Yes I know :( I was actually thinking of scanning it and putting it on here! Let me see if I can access it and snip it here.

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England 28-3..... And it's supposed to be a day for batting......

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Great start by England. :rolleyes:

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England's batting line up is looking increasingly vulnerable in this last year and this summer it seems to have got worse.:(