da jogodeouro： After the umpiring controversies of the past few months, it was refreshing to see an official do the right thing
Dileep Premachandran at Kuala Lumpur22-Sep-2006
Mark Benson decided that it was better to look silly than give the wrong decision © Getty Images
Whenever Glenn McGrath and Sachin Tendulkar come across each other on acricket pitch, things tend to happen. And it was no different on Friday,with McGrath’s very first delivery to his fellow legend providing for theday’s main talking point. Pitched short, it tempted Tendulkar into thepull, but he was too early on the stroke. The ball brushed his shoulderand ricocheted behind the stumps to Brad Haddin and theAustralian close-in fielders went up in appeal. After a moment’sthought, and to Tendulkar’s stupefaction, Mark Benson raised his finger.Tendulkar’s reaction was about as animated as he ever gets on a cricketfield, and it perhaps implanted the first seeds of doubt in Benson’s mind.And while Tendulkar trudged towards the pavilion slowly, he decided toconsult with his colleague, Asad Rauf. Once Rauf gave his opinion, Bensondecided that it was better to look silly than give the wrong decision, andto his credit, he recalled the batsman.While McGrath smiled ruefully and walked back to his mark, Ricky Pontingwas livid. Forgetting the fact that the umpire is well within his rightsto reverse a decision (Law 27.9), Ponting shared more than a few words, and it willbe interesting to see what view the match referee takes at the end of thegame. After his latest outburst against West Indies, Cricket Australia hadcome down hard on him, aware that the next offence would invite amultiple-game ban.The Tendulkar incident wasn’t the only topic of debate either. Haddin hadmade only two when Rudra Pratap Singh’s throw to Harbhajan Singh appearedto catch him several feet short of the crease. Haddin looked to be walkingoff to the pavilion when Benson decided to clarify whether Harbhajan hadbroken the stumps cleanly with ball in hand. It took several minutes ofreplays to establish that he hadn’t, and the waiting Haddin was thencalled back.While one of the commentators lamented, off the record, about decliningumpiring standards, it must be said that Benson got it right both times.After the umpiring controversies of the past few months it was refreshing to see an official do theright thing, even at the risk of having his competence called intoquestion.