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Cricket is a game in which the umpire does not give
a decision unless there is an 'appeal' from the
fielding side for a wicket, or for that matter,
from the batting side for bad light (covered in Law
3) One doesn't get to see this in other sports like
football, hockey, tennis etc, wherein the umpire or
referee can take decisions without waiting for an
appeal from the players.
The term "How's that?" encompasses all appeals for
dismissals. Similar-sounding terms like "How"s he"
or only "How" also can be interpreted as appeals. A
player who is mute could just look at the umpire
and raise his arms, accompanied by some noise. But
the umpire will not respond without an appeal.
Both umpires have their 'areas of jurisdiction', in
which they are bound. The umpire standing at the
striker's end (square-leg) can only answer calls
for stumping, hit-wicket and run out at his end.
All other appeals are addressed by the umpire at
the bowler's end. However, this umpire may ask his
colleague at square-leg to verify a dismissal, like
a catch that has been taken inches from the turf.
But the final decision after consultation has to be
given by the official at the bowler's end.
I stood in a Test between India and the West Indies
at Kolkata in 1987-88, in which K. Srikkanth got a
faint nick to Courtney Walsh, and the wicketkeeper
Jeff Dujjon caught it low behind the batsman. I was
unsighted, and so after calling "Dead Ball", I
proceeded to my colleague to seek his opinion. Even
as I did so, Srikkanth started walking towards the
pavilion, despite the fact that I had still not
given him out. But he figured out that I was
convinced he had got an edge, and all I wanted to
check is whether the catch had been taken cleanly.
In Srikkanth's opinion, it had, and that's why he
walked.
We are in an era in which the third umpire, or
should we say TV umpire, rules the roost.
Strangely, many people are under the impression
that all decisions, including those for LBW, can be
given by the third umpire, but they are being
denied that privilege by the field umpires, who are
adamant and want to be in the limelight. Nothing
can be further from the truth.
The TV umpire, when called upon, can only
adjudicate on appeals for run out, stumping and
hit-wicket. Furthermore¸ if the field umpires after
consultation are unsure about the fairness of a low
catch, then they may refer it to the third umpire,
who is empowered to inform the field umpires if
there has been no contact between bat and ball. But
the third umpire cannot be directly asked whether
the ball has nicked the bat or the glove of the
hand holding the bat. For instance, the field
umpires could not have asked their colleague
whether Sachin Tendulkar's glove was in contact
with the bat-handle when the ball touched it, as
happened in the recent Test at Faisalabad.
To be continued....
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