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Cronje's views on umpires sought

By Peter Deeley

11 August 1998


HANSIE CRONJE is to submit a report on how umpiring can be improved when the South African team arrive home later this month.

The tourists' captain has been asked for his views by Ali Bacher, managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, who may use them as the basis for a submission to the International Cricket Council on the use of technology.

``I've spoken to Hansie about the situation and, obviously, like all the other Test captains, his tongue is tied,'' confirmed Bacher yesterday.

``I asked him, irrespective of the result of the last Test, to submit a report to the UCB outlining what he perceives the problems to be after a series of very bad umpiring decisions.

``He will put it down in black and white, unemotionally, and give the report to us [the UCBSA] and allow us to handle it from there. Obviously there's a major problem and it isn't in the interests of world cricket to have it there. We must sort it out.

``One prominent former England player told me that Headingley is an especially difficult wicket to play on and officiate on because of it's up-and-down nature.

``It was wrong to get a chap in from the subcontinent for his first ever game in England, and a crucial test match, and put him at Headingley.''

Cronje was in diplomatic mood yesterday: ``There are times when you feel umpires give more for the opposition, but that's the nature of the game and you have to accept it. When we have cooled down we will just reflect on what has happened. But we don't blame our defeat on the umpires.''

Pakistani umpire Javed Akhtar gave nine of the 10 leg-before decisions in the match - seven of them against South Africa.

To the end he remained the subject of controversy. When South Africa wanted to stay on for the extra half-hour on the fourth day to score runs off the tired England bowling, Cronje said his batsmen were told by Akhtar that it was not possible ``because both captains have to be in agreement''.

That was incorrect, according to the ICC regulations, which say that ``either captain'' may request the extra time.

Cronje said Shaun Pollock had been told at the end of the penultimate over to stay on, ``but he hadn't told Allan Donald, who started to walk off''. When Pollock then approached Akhtar his plea to continue was rejected.

Mike Procter, meanwhile, was almost speechless when Akhtar gave the match-winning decision for England -the leg before to Darren Gough against South African No 11 Makhaya Ntini. ``There! Another one that would have missed another set of stumps,'' Procter declared after watching the only television replay of the dismissal.

Cronje was prepared, however, to discuss technology as an aid to umpiring. ``You can't judge, even on television, when you see some decisions,'' he commented, citing the criticism of wicket-keeper Mark Boucher's catch off Mark Ramprakash - which the television slow motion showed to have been taken on the half- volley, according to some observers.

The South African captain speculated that ``perhaps it should be left to the batsman to walk, or not, and if proved wrong then he should face a ban for three games. Maybe we should go that way.''


Source: The Electronic Telegraph
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Date-stamped : 11 Aug1998 - 10:33