Ian ConstantineHave your say: Pakistan Ball Tampering
August 21st 2006 01:50
Photo: Reuters
Questions have to be asked. Now I am a little shady on the specifics of the ball dimensions and how these differed from the ball that was inspected by Billy Doctrove and Darrell Hair, but something drastic must have happened to it. The laws of cricket dictate that the umpire gets hold of the ball at the natural breaks in the game such as tea, lunch, etc. as well as during the drinks breaks. It couldn't have been more than half an hour since the umpires last inspected the ball. So what happened?
I don't think it was right of the umpires to automatically assume the ball had been tampered with. While 5 runs seems a minor penalty, it was moreso to do with the fact that the umpires jumped to the conclusion that the Pakis cheated. Usually I berate the teams involved for these kinds of issues, but I am 100% against the umpires on this one until we get concrete proof that it was a case of ball tampering.
If it were the Aussies playing, our media would be up in arms. And we would have praised them for standing their ground. Good on you Pakistan, while it might not have been the best avenue for the spectators, you have my vote of confidence. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Were the umpires right to penalise the Pakistanis? Did the Pakistanis take their stance too far? Have your say...
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