5 Umpiring decisions that turned the game on its head

In total and complete honesty, the umpire sure as hell do their job. It is a very difficult job to do, especially for those who are not well-versed with the umpiring thought process that goes on the field of play. However, some of the umpiring decisions have seen the game drastically turn on its head and have caught and robbed well-deserving sides of victories in the past.

Moreover, the fact that these decisions have gone on to affect the results has been somewhat surprising, to say the least. That said, here is a quick look at five umpiring decisions that went on to affect the very crux of the game.

1. Ross Emerson ball’s Muttiah Muralitharan:

Ross Emerson and Muttiah Muralitharan went way back before the actual incident took place. The Australian media had been hyping about Muralitharan and the ‘chucking’ controversy till then. However, the actual match between the two saw Arjuna Ranatunga almost make the decision to call off the match against England in their tri-series against Australia down under.

While Murali was bowling his regular off-spinners, Ross Emerson called a no-ball for chucking. This meant that Murali would have to bowl only leg-spinners through the game. However, the fact that no-balls were called almost all the time, it was clear that Ranatunga had to do something. He led his team off the field and threatened to call off the match.

Peter Roebuck, a former cricketer, and the journalist went on to write about the match later. He also went on to call Emerson a ‘Nincompoop’. Needless to say, England clinched a win in that match. Emerson has not officiated a match since then.

Also read – If Cricketers had a day named after them