After the controversial DRS incident involving Australian captain Steve Smith in the Bengaluru Test, about which Indian skipper Virat Kohli had a lot to say, the BCCI and Cricket Australia backed their captains and later smoked the peace pipe. But what was inexplicable was the ICC’s refusal to punish a blatant error made by Smith. Truth be told, he got away lighty.
The obsession to arrive at correct decisions on the umpiring front in cricket,could be traced to a combative and suave individual about three and a half decades ago. the Wagah Khan, one of the game’s greats, could no longer accept the barbs fired by visiting teams ambushed on the various grounds in Pakistan.
The snide refrain then was that Pakistan had a 13-member playing eleven! The insinuation hinted at host umpires acting as appendages of Imran’s men.
‘TRY AND GET JAVED MIANDAD out lbw in Pakistan,’ was another dare. Many senior correspondents, who crossed the Wagah border or landed in Karachi or Lahore,did declare over nostalgic nights spent with a drink in hand, that Pakistan indeed drew additional strength from pliable umpires but there was no denying the inherent strengths of Imran’s squad.
The proud Pathan that he was, Imran could no longer accept the constant jibes and he fervently lobbied for neutral umpires, just to obviate the perception of a patriotic-bias seeping into home umpires.
NEUTRAL UMPIRES BECAME a reality and gradually match-referees were introduced, third and fourth umpires too were present across the ropes and in sanitised rooms with just a television beaming live telecast for company. And they were at hand to give counsel when on-field umpires sought a referral on tricky catches, stumpings and run-outs.
The zeal for umpiring accuracy and accountability eventually paved the way for the Decision Review System (DRS), where players and captains could seek a second-opinion of the third-umpire. It seemed an organic progression and a welcome addition to the operation clean-up that Imran had launched in the mid-1980s.
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