BBL Umpires acknowledge on-field error
The on-field umpire Gerard Abood has admitted to an error made on the field, when he gave Travis Head of the Adelaide Strikers out caught behind by the Melbourne Stars wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb, after it appeared the ball had bounced before carrying to the keeper.
It happened during the second game of the fifth season of the Big Bash League (BBL), Australia’s domestic T20 competition, a match that the Strikers eventually won by 19 runs.
It so happened that Head had clearly nicked a John Hastings delivery, but it was also clear, albeit after the replays, that the ball had bounced before reaching the keeper, who in an anticipation of a catch, had appealed for it.
The umpire Abood consulted with the other on-field official, Mike Graham-Smith, and after both of them were sure that the catch was clean, gave Head out, much to the dismay of the 27,611 people who had come to watch their home side play at the Adelaide Oval.
"It goes without saying we don't like getting things wrong, we like to get them right and that's what we strive for," Abood told cricket.com.au after the match.
"It's not the best feeling in the world when you realise you've got one wrong. We'll go through our processes and try to figure out how we got it wrong and why we got it wrong.
"It's hard not to hear all the boos when they nearly lift the roof off, but that's all part and parcel of it, we're paid to do that, that's our job."
The Stars’ gloveman and the bowler went off to celebrate, only turning around when they realised that there was some confusion in the umpire’s mind. Abood and Graham-Smith discussed, and after deliberations were sure of the fact that Head was out, and didn’t feel the need to consult the TV umpire.
"I heard the nick on it, I sort of thought it carried, I asked Mike and Mike thought it carried so we gave it out," said the standing umpire who pronounced the decision.
"As it turns out it appears that it has bounced. If we had an inkling that it had bounced we would have referred it upstairs."
The umpires realised that they had made an error only after the replays were shown on the big screen, and boos started roaring from the crowd.
In the context of the game, though, the dismissal didn’t create much impact, as Alex Ross came out to bat, smashed 65 from 31, and built a 115-run partnership with the veteran Brad Hodge, who made 56 off 41.
Umpires’ performance to be reviewed
The umpires, as a part of the Cricket Australia (CA) review procedure, will go through a review process of their performance, with the special impetus likely to be given to the aforementioned dismissal.
"It's easy to be Monday's expert on it. We didn't think at the time there was an issue with it so we didn't refer it up," said Abood. "It will certainly be part of our review when we go and have a look at the decision and work through the process,” added Graham-Smith.
Despite opting for the Decision Review System in Tests, Australia have decided not to use any such review system in the BBL, the consequences of which are already visible.
The use of technology to eliminate the obvious howlers must be done, more so in a tournament involving international cricketers, and promising young talent.