Cricket Test Series 2014: Australia v India

[Awesom Andy]

Yes, the tight bowling/fielding worked:
See, they should have opted for DRS

I'm not sure if tight bowling/fielding has anything to do with being given out caught from the helmet...

 

[QF WP]

It increases the pressure on the batsman who are not scoring runs, to sometimes make rash shots that result in a wicket. However, yes, improbable to connect such a howler of a decision by the umpire.

Raghunandh: "Why can't we say yes to DRS minus Hot Spot and Ball tracker to get rid of these howlers?! There should be a system where the 3rd umpire should immediately see the replays and ask the batsman to wait, review the replays and overturn the decision. Shocking decisions in this series so far."

and

Michael Clarke has tweeted: "Not a great decision that one."

Once both teams can agree on a fair system (which isn't easy, given the sub-continent teams lack of faith in DRS).

 

[Awesom Andy]

It increases the pressure on the batsman who are not scoring runs, to sometimes make rash shots that result in a wicket.

Apparently, it also increases the pressure on the umpire who are not seeing much action, to sometimes make rash decisions that result in a wicket.

Ok... enough of that... :-|

 

[QF WP]

. Just spat my mouthful of water, thankfully missing both my laptop and client files. That part of desk now much cleaner than it was...

 

[drron]

Apparently, it also increases the pressure on the umpire who are not seeing much action, to sometimes make rash decisions that result in a wicket.

Ok... enough of that... :-|

Having umpired for a few seasons that may not be as silly as you think.

 

[RB]

Oh dear. Another howler from Gould. Off the helmet. How can you get it so wrong?

Umpires are supposed to he professionals?

John can you share your umpiring background with us? To err is human? Interesting that the World Cricket Committee that includes some pretty prominent cricket names include the following -"Human error will always play a part in the game for both players and umpires but the DRS is successful in limiting this." and "The DRS is not perfect, but it improves decision making and adds to the spectator experience, which is good for the game."
Full copy is here MCC World Cricket committee statements - July 2013

Also taken from a talk by Simon Taufel

"I’m happy to share some performance statistics of the ICC Emirates Elite Panel (only correct decision percentages) to illustrate how better broadcasting and technology has allowed us to better assess decision-making performance.

2010/11 – 2745 appeals answered with a CD% average of 93.79% (umpires ranged from 97.29% to 91.6%)

2011/12 – 2597 appeals answered with a CD% average of 95.05% (umpires ranged from 97.49% to 91.14%)

2012/13 – 2956 appeals were answered with a CD% average of 94% (umpires ranged from 96.39% to 90.63%)

There is a rider here though; umpiring is not just about decision making. The danger is that we only assess or make judgments about an umpire or umpiring standards according to their correct decision percentage. Umpiring is much more than that – I would prefer to focus on preparation, match management, field craft (technique), communication, teamwork – an overall ability of an umpire to solve problems before they happen and create an environment of fairness for the players where they can play freely and show their skills. Correct decision making is important but for me it is a given, it should be there as a matter of fact. Only by exception should it be considered as an area to analyze and critique. For me, if you excel in preparation, match management, focus, teamwork and mental strength, the decision making will take care of itself.

If you were to ask the players, the coaches, the person in the street, would they be happy with an umpire who got nine out of ten decisions right in a day’s play – I’m very confident the answer would be “yes”. The reality is, this is not the response when an umpire gets one wrong (or should I say, not proved right by technology?!). Remember we are competing with many cameras and technologies and sometimes we are not in the best position to see or hear what actually happened. We have higher standards as umpires and there is always a strong desire and pursuit to get ALL decisions correct. I haven’t met an umpire yet who is comfortable to make an error on the field or who doesn’t want to get all of his decisions right – we really do care about our role and our decisions and performance. "

 

[QF WP]

I take my eyes of the screen and do some work and we get Kohli

44.2 135.4 kph, gone! That was short outside off, not wide enough to cut. Kohli went for it and the extra bounce caused him to edge it thickly to the keeper 137/3

Now 3/150. Pendulum back in the middle, maybe slightly in Australia's favour now.

 

[JohnK]

John can you share your umpiring background with us? To err is human? Interesting that the World Cricket Committee that includes some pretty prominent cricket names include the following -"Human error will always play a part in the game for both players and umpires but the DRS is successful in limiting this." and "The DRS is not perfect, but it improves decision making and adds to the spectator experience, which is good for the game."

No umpiring background.

Of course we are human and mistakes do happen but some of these mistakes are just poor decisions that can turn the course of a match. There was only 1 reason Australia didn't lose last test. Forget about winning. We should have lost. Rahane wasn't anywhere near the ball. That decision turned the match.

Sure DRS is not perfect. I don't believe you can accurately judge what a ball is going to do based on what it did previously. But if you are going to check for no balls and whether catches were taken then surely you can check if the batsman actually hit the ball or not when deciding caught or LBW decisions.

Technology is not perfect but the whole idea was to try and remove howlers such as this one. And I am sorry it was a howler.

 

[QF WP]

In between work, noticed it was tea (and they'll be coming out again now). Good commentary here:

2.40pm And that is tea. Australia have pulled things back with the wickets of Pujara and Kohli, both falling to Hazlewood. Bad decision on the first one, but Australia have done well to come back in this session. They've bowled a lot better, created more pressure on the batsmen, both with the ball and in the field. Vijay survived another half-chance, when the ball didn't quite stick in Starc's hand for a caught and bowled opportunity, but he's otherwise done very well to bat through the first two sessions. It's a fairly even position right now, and a couple of wickets or a big partnership will tilt the day one way or the other.

Indeed, as I post this above, they are already out on the field:

3.00pm We're back. Mitchell Johnson will start the session for Australia.

 

[QF WP]

Vijay is romping trowards his century (currently 87 n.o.), dispatching Hazlewood for 11 in his last over. An interesting fact:

Vijay has made the highest score by a visiting opening batsman on the first day of a Gabba Test since 1931, according to Mohandas Menon.

Disconcerting comment though after the first ball:

Uh oh, what do we have here? Hazlewood fell over in his follow-through and seemed to cramp up. His teammates come up to him and help him stretch his right leg. The physio is out too. Must be an extremely hot day in Brisbane. Big break in play, but he goes back to the top of his mark and will continue bowling.

as well as Mitchell Marsh pulling up and going off the ground: http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2014-15/content/story/810947.html

 

[QF WP]

Vijay's century:

55.4
Watson to Vijay, FOUR, wide and overpitched and that is Vijay's century. Leans over the ball and opens his bat face just a touch to drive it to the square cover boundary. Takes his helmet off and he looks a little dazed initially, before embracing Rahane and raising his bat to the crowd. Fairly subdued celebration for an excellent innings.

• M Vijay 101 (176b 14x4 0x6)

Now 3/181 so honour even so far on Day 1.

 

[QF WP]

Damn it , catches win matches:

56.4
Johnson to Vijay, no run, dropped! And it's Shaun Marsh again! He didn't quite get to the pitch to drive and hit it uppishly. Marsh leaped up from short cover, right hand raised over his head, and it didn't quite stick. He tried to dive and take the rebound but it was too far from his grasp

 

[JohnK]

Uh oh. How many catches have we dropped now? Another one by Shaun Marsh and Johnson bowling without luck.

 

[Awesom Andy]

Uh oh. How many catches have we dropped now? Another one by Shaun Marsh and Johnson bowling without luck.

3 today so far, if I remember correctly. They are difficult chances, but having said that, the Aussies take pride on converting this type of chances to wickets back in the days when the team was virtually invincible.

And they are scoring much more freely now, more than 5.5 per over in the last 10 overs.

 

[Pushka]

MrP is a registered Umpire from years back. Maybe that should be a "was". Instinct plays a huge part of what is out and what isn't. And maybe stating the obvious to say that what is very out on a slo-mo does not look out when in a purely visual 'as it happens' mode.

 

[QF WP]

3 today so far, if I remember correctly. They are difficult chances, but having said that, the Aussies take pride on converting this type of chances to wickets back in the days when the team was virtually invincible.

And they are scoring much more freely now, more than 5.5 per over in the last 10 overs.

Yes, up to 3/250 now (Vijay 139 n.o and Rahane 46 - partnership 113), so the honours look like they are going to India on Day 1 (hoping that by saying this, it'll change the Aussies fortune).

 

[QF WP]

Rahane now 50:

70.1
Watson to Rahane, 3 runs, short ball, and he's pulled that from head height with a tennis-style smash down towards the midwicket boundary. They get three, and Rahane reaches his half-century

3/259

 

[QF WP]

Yes, Vijay is finally out!!

71.5Lyon to Vijay, OUT, ... and it's paid off. Vijay comes down the track and goes for the big hit again. Was making room to go over mid-off and it went with the angle past his outside edge and Haddin makes the easy stumping

M Vijay st †Haddin b Lyon 144 (332m 213b 22x4 0x6) SR: 67.60

Now 4/261. Lyons first wicket.

 

[Awesom Andy]

(hoping that by saying this, it'll change the Aussies fortune).

Vijay got stumped just now. You should say this more often.

 

[QF WP]

Okay, then I will - it's about time that Australia got another wicket as India still look like taking honours for Day 1. There, let's see if that works