Umpires deserve greater respect

``HOWZZAT?''``NOT out!'' It is so simple. The bowler appeals, the umpire says ``no'', the decision is accepted and it is on to the next ball.

The problem comes when the appealing continues, as it did at the Green Park when Sourav Ganguly tried intimidating umpire C. K. Sathe. Even newcomer Vijay Dahiya was guilty of running the length of the pitch and making an outrageous demand - Sathe consults his colleague Devendra Sharma.

Such scenes are very common in domestic cricket where umpires are subjected to pressure tactics by players. Sathe presented a pitiable sight that day at the Green Park. He stood there helpless, accepting the tantrums of the players, not once, but repeatedly. It was thus least surprising that Match Referee Barry Jarman dealt firmly with Ganguly, suspending him from the next match at Rajkot.

The Match Referees appear to be the only sympathisers left for the umpires in today's world of demanding cricket.

The umpires have, for long, been at the receiving end in Indian domestic cricket. Players showing dissent are still rampant despite the presence of the Board-appointed match observer. It is not that the umpires are submissive by nature. It is the lack of support from the Board that leaves the umpires fending for themselves if they dare make a complaint against star cricketers.

The umpires do want to deal with the erring players sternly but they have little support. They have an association which takes little care of the umpires' interests. The umpires simply have no platform to air their grievances. The Board does not believe in giving them powers, even to defend their reputation when being challenged by cricketers who do not behave themselves on the field.

Not all umpires in India allow the players to dictate. There have been a few exceptions like S. Venkatraghavan, V. K. Ramaswamy, A. V. Jayaprakash, V. N. Kulkarni, S. V. Ramani, Vijay Chopra, S. K. Bansal, M. R. Singh, Suresh Shastri, Subrata Porel, T. R. Kashyappan, C. R. Vijayaraghavan, Arun Bhardwaj. They are all known to be tough. The late Swarup Kishan was a no-nonsense man and one had known him to shout ``not out'' at a bowler making a silly appeal.

Kulkarni of Karnataka once had the courage and conviction to send off Sanjay Manjrekar from the field in a Ranji Trophy match at Kolhapur but the move did not evoke any positive response from the Board. Then in a Ranji Trophy match. Ramani was verbally abused by one star cricketer and the umpire lost no time in seeking an apology. Ramaswamy too never allowed the players to treat an umpire with disdain.

Spare a thought for the umpire who surely does not step on to the field with the intention of giving poor decisions and invite shame. The incident involving. R. C. Sharma comes to mind when he halted midway after having begun the process of raising his finger to give Ajay Jadeja out in a one-day match against Sri Lanka. He scratched his head and Jadeja stayed on. But the television cameras took over, made fun of the umpire's decision by repeating it from all possible angles. It went on the whole day. Sharma, not a bad umpire, was devastated and died less than six months later in a road accident. But those six months or so had been the most difficult for Sharma as he relived those sad moments through taunts from various quarters.

``They are like sharks. Ready to pounce on us at the slightest pretext'' one umpire said of these television commentators. ``There should be a system where these so-called experts should commit themselves before seeking the replays. Nine times out of ten they would be off the mark'' said the umpire who was once subjected to ridicule by the electronic media.

Of course, there would be some poor umpires too but then such men, promoted by the Board itself, are found everywhere, even in key matches. In trying to please all associations, the Board ends up appointing a discomforting number of umpires for international matches at the cost of some good umpires.

The players also play their cards well, identifying the docile umpires who can be pressurised. Asked another umpire ``would Ganguly or Dahiya have made a scene against a neutral umpire?'' Of course, Ganguly too felt bad about it and apologised to Sathe but that was not an act done in public. It was a poor example to set and for one who has known the Indian skipper for so long the act came as a shocker. Ganguly is a strong believer in the ethics of the game and one knows he would have learnt a lot from this unsavoury and needless incident. More than anyone, it was Ganguly who was the loser in the eyes of the umpiring fraternity.

Using modern equipment to get the right decisions has helped the game immensely but the administrators will have to ensure that technology does not reduce the umpires to mere spectators and make them target of ridicule in the public eye.

The umpires have to be given respect, showing due regard for the effort they put in to ensure smooth conduct of the game, and trying to remain as fair as possible.

It is all very easy to judge a decision after ten replays but what of the poor umpire, who is exposed and slammed by all and sundry, especially the television commentators, who are always wise only after the event. It becomes worse for the umpires when players also join the act.

VIJAY LOKAPALLY,

New Delhi

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