Line & Length
R Mohan
All the world loves a winner
January 03, 2008
A throwaway line that might become more famous in time to come is the one asking that the rest of the cricket world be held to account for its failure to challenge Australia in Test cricket.
Down Under, the Aussies think of themselves as so utterly invincible on the cricket field that they ask leading questions of those who like to toy with the fancy notion that they can bring them down from their perch.
While failure is taken for granted when it comes to playing the world's best cricket team, those who seriously challenge Australia do know there is even more to it than cricketing might.
To put it bluntly, even the umpires favour the champion team. Jose Mourinho of football fame used to rant about it whenever Chelsea played Manchester United or any of the other old powerhouses that had such awesome reputations everyone sold out to the charms of loving a winner.
India have been acknowledged to be the team to have pushed Australia the most in the new millennium to the extent of winning one Test series and drawing another. But just as Team India were recovering from the body blow suffered at the MCG and getting back on their feet to fight again, the umpires struck.
A rash of decisions in favour of the home team by the two neutral umpires and the third umpire watching television replays in the comfort of the referee's room was even greater than the one across Sachin Tendulkar's face that was caused by the intense Australian sun. Benson was the first perpetrator of the horror show imposed on India by failing to pick up the nick down the leg side as Ricky Ponting glanced.
Being the sort of event that could so easily be missed at a loud Test arena, tragedy number one was a minor blip on the radar.
The Englishman did go on to compound his error by adjudging Ponting leg before when the Australian captain had nicked the ball on to pad while facing up to an old nemesis in Harbhajan Singh.
The second tragedy, imposed by an umpire who the Indians have reason to think of as an old adversary, was by far the more crucial one. Symonds, on 30 of 193/6, edged one in the more straightforward fashion, off the outer part of the bat, and it appeared all the world saw it except Steve Bucknor of Jamaica.
The third incident concerned the television umpire, a certain B.N.J. Oxenford, who refused to consider the solid evidence reproduced so well by television technology. He did not believe Symonds was stumped when the Queenslander was attempting to bring his raised back foot down to the sanctum of the crease.
In the old days, teams touring Australia stood virtually no chance as home umpires were thought to consider themselves an integral part of the great national sporting effort. Officials like Lou Rowan, Ray Isherwood and Alex Whitehead were so notorious that visiting cricketers merely laughed sardonically when they faced the rough end of the umpiring stick.
To face the same dilemma in times in which neutrals do duty must be galling. Apparently, it is not that extraordinary as long term watchers of the game like Michael Holding have observed. The Rolls Royce among fast bowlers always maintained that even in the era of neutral umpires the Australians get twice as many favourable decisions as their opponents.
Clive Lloyd used to say in his time that touring teams had to be twice as good as Australia to win because they had to get the major batsmen out at least twice before they were actually sent packing by officials.
A cheeky young Indian wicket-keeper had the temerity once to suggest to Ishwerwood that not only was he deaf but also blind. That is how the cookie used to crumble in the old days.
There is no denying Australia's stupendous record. If you add the 15 in a row - up to the Melbourne Test after the Ashes defeat in 2005 - to the 16 that Steve Waugh's men won before Laxman and Dravid turned the tide at the Eden Gardens, it adds to a performance unmatched in the annals of the game.
The only footnote to be added is such a record could not have come without a bit of help.
What makes the lot of the challengers sad is that nothing seems to have changed between the times when home umpires stood and now when international umpires are the only ones who officiate at both ends in Tests .
But then all the world loves a winner and everyone tends to pile on, including, apparently, the neutral umpires.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
Down Under, the Aussies think of themselves as so utterly invincible on the cricket field that they ask leading questions of those who like to toy with the fancy notion that they can bring them down from their perch.
While failure is taken for granted when it comes to playing the world's best cricket team, those who seriously challenge Australia do know there is even more to it than cricketing might.
To put it bluntly, even the umpires favour the champion team. Jose Mourinho of football fame used to rant about it whenever Chelsea played Manchester United or any of the other old powerhouses that had such awesome reputations everyone sold out to the charms of loving a winner.
India have been acknowledged to be the team to have pushed Australia the most in the new millennium to the extent of winning one Test series and drawing another. But just as Team India were recovering from the body blow suffered at the MCG and getting back on their feet to fight again, the umpires struck.
A rash of decisions in favour of the home team by the two neutral umpires and the third umpire watching television replays in the comfort of the referee's room was even greater than the one across Sachin Tendulkar's face that was caused by the intense Australian sun. Benson was the first perpetrator of the horror show imposed on India by failing to pick up the nick down the leg side as Ricky Ponting glanced.
Being the sort of event that could so easily be missed at a loud Test arena, tragedy number one was a minor blip on the radar.
The Englishman did go on to compound his error by adjudging Ponting leg before when the Australian captain had nicked the ball on to pad while facing up to an old nemesis in Harbhajan Singh.
The second tragedy, imposed by an umpire who the Indians have reason to think of as an old adversary, was by far the more crucial one. Symonds, on 30 of 193/6, edged one in the more straightforward fashion, off the outer part of the bat, and it appeared all the world saw it except Steve Bucknor of Jamaica.
The third incident concerned the television umpire, a certain B.N.J. Oxenford, who refused to consider the solid evidence reproduced so well by television technology. He did not believe Symonds was stumped when the Queenslander was attempting to bring his raised back foot down to the sanctum of the crease.
In the old days, teams touring Australia stood virtually no chance as home umpires were thought to consider themselves an integral part of the great national sporting effort. Officials like Lou Rowan, Ray Isherwood and Alex Whitehead were so notorious that visiting cricketers merely laughed sardonically when they faced the rough end of the umpiring stick.
To face the same dilemma in times in which neutrals do duty must be galling. Apparently, it is not that extraordinary as long term watchers of the game like Michael Holding have observed. The Rolls Royce among fast bowlers always maintained that even in the era of neutral umpires the Australians get twice as many favourable decisions as their opponents.
Clive Lloyd used to say in his time that touring teams had to be twice as good as Australia to win because they had to get the major batsmen out at least twice before they were actually sent packing by officials.
A cheeky young Indian wicket-keeper had the temerity once to suggest to Ishwerwood that not only was he deaf but also blind. That is how the cookie used to crumble in the old days.
There is no denying Australia's stupendous record. If you add the 15 in a row - up to the Melbourne Test after the Ashes defeat in 2005 - to the 16 that Steve Waugh's men won before Laxman and Dravid turned the tide at the Eden Gardens, it adds to a performance unmatched in the annals of the game.
The only footnote to be added is such a record could not have come without a bit of help.
What makes the lot of the challengers sad is that nothing seems to have changed between the times when home umpires stood and now when international umpires are the only ones who officiate at both ends in Tests .
But then all the world loves a winner and everyone tends to pile on, including, apparently, the neutral umpires.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
