No-ball controversy in Aus-WI match: Dean Jones backs idea of third umpire interference

The recent season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) made the headlines for one negative reason and it was about flawed umpiring. The situation went so bad in one game that even a cool captain like MS Dhoni stormed into the field to challenge the umpire’s dubious decision. And now, it seems even the ICC World Cup – the biggest tournament that game sees on the planet – is also not immune from umpiring gaffes.

On Thursday, as defending champions Australia met two-time winners West Indies in the league encounter at Trent Bridge, on-field umpire Chris Gaffaney was found to have missed a massive no-ball from left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc. The ball next to the invalid delivery that the umpire failed to detect led to the dismissal of West Indian opener Chris Gayle. Had the no-ball been rightly called, the delivery that got Gayle would have been a free-hit and the left-hand batsman would have survived.

Commentators later spotted Starc’s gigantic no-ball a few over after Gayle returned to the pavilion and it soon turned into a controversy. The West Indies were at the receiving end because of the goof-up and it is to be seen whether they move the International Cricket Council to take a call on the matter urgently.

Time for third umpires to step in, feel experts

PakPassion editor Saj Sadiq came up with a recommendation of allowing the third umpire to intervene in case the on-field umpires fail to detect a no-ball and inform the officials on the ground about the same. International cricket has seen far too many instances of the on-field umpires overlooking overstepping by the bowlers of late and it has given rise to heated debates.

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones, popularly called Prof Deano, came to Sadiq’s support and explained why another umpire on the ground is not bad an idea. He said, for one, it leads to instant feedback whereby the power hitter stays on strike to make use of the free hit and secondly, it is cheaper than technology.

The ICC will have to sit sooner to resolve the umpiring issue for it has now snowballed into a major headache for players from across the globe.