Sticky Wicket Newsletter of the South Australian Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association Established 1911
It’s Striker Time!
January 2014
Your Umpire’s Association SACUSA Committee—Main Contacts
SACA
President: Ted Branson - 0448 689 976
Neil Poulton (Umpiring Manager) - 0416 623 518
V. President: Craig Thomas - 0434 165 310 Secretary: Michial Farrow - 0435 872 215
8300 3211 Sarah Fry (Competitions Coordinator) - 0418 674 106
secsacusa@hotmail.com
8300 3244
Treasurer: Lynton Donisthorpe - 0418 317 856
Amy White (Umpire Admin Officer) - 8300 3874
Patron: Neil Dansie
Inclement Weather Information Line - 1900 950 598
Sticky Wicket Editor Tim Pellew
0414 58 58 42
pellew@internode.on.net
The Adelaide Test is over, the Ashes are over, so is 2013. The new year brings us many challenges and I feel umpiring will need to be up to those challenges. More than ever in all of cricket umpires are being challenged. It would seem that DRS has finally started to mature but with that brings an era where questioning an umpires decision is seen as ok. This might be ok in the professional arena where every action of the players, coaches and umpires is heavily scrutinised, but it is NOT ok in the real world where 99.99% of cricket is played. It is unfortunate that players, spectators and coaches will copy what they see on TV. What they see is... Dissent is now accepted and umpiring decisions should be broken down and analysed. Too often now I hear about amateur umpires, who are only umpiring for fun and to serve cricket, being subjected to the same level of scrutiny without all the technology, without any evidence and often without any support from the captains, coaches or clubs the umpires are trying to serve. I have seen umpires being challenged and criticised by clubs for implementing the very rules the clubs themselves put in place and I have seen the general standard of behaviour in senior cricket slide. The challenge for umpires will be to re-define the line in the sand, to act on bad behaviour without over-reacting, to make it clear that if captains do not do their job and uphold the “Spirit of Cricket” then the umpires will. NP
facebook.com/sacricketumpiresandscorers
NEWS FROM THE NORTH (PDCA) Happy New Year to all our SACUSA colleagues – we have enjoyed working with you in some of the pre-Christmas carnivals and look forward to some more over the coming weeks. Our members are delighted to have the opportunity to stand with a colleague. It’s re-assuring to be out on the park with at least one friend! We are delighted to have welcomed a couple of new members from Bangladesh: Azfar and Morshed are proving a great hit with our players – perhaps it’s just that they appreciate some youth at last! So far this season we have had only one report that has gone to tribunal, where, surprisingly, the captain got off!. In Grade 1, Virginia are the current pace setters, with a 15 point lead over Rose & Crown, Salisbury West, Central United and Craigmore, who are all within 10 points of each other. At the other end of the table, it looks as if newly promoted Riverside and Eastern Park are due for only a short stay in the top echelon. Thought you might be interested in a selection of the ‘questions’ used as our training session at the most recent meeting:
In a one day game, as a bowler is about to start what to you is the last over of his entitlement, the scorers call out that he has already bowled his full complement. What do you do?
An incoming batsman takes guard as a right-hander. Next over he calls for guard as a left-hander. Can he continue to change his stance throughout his innings? If so, what are the implications?
A batsman advances down the wicket to a slow bowler but misses the ball. The keeper collects the ball in front of the stumps, removes the bails and appeals for a stumping. As square leg umpire, what is your decision? (Law 40.3)
At the start of a game (in a lower grade) you notice that one of the mats is not in a good condition, although you judge it OK for play. You advise the captains accordingly and indicate you will be noting the problem on your match report. The condition of the mat deteriorates throughout the day and at 5pm, with the second innings in progress, you decide the mat is now too dangerous to continue. The home team captain advises you there is another mat in the rooms. The visiting captain indicates he is not at all happy. Do you allow the damaged mat to be replaced?
You call no ball for over-stepping. It’s a short ball and in attempting to avoid the ball the striker steps on his wicket, whereupon the fielding side appeals for hit wicket. What is your decision? (Law 24.15)
The striker plays the ball straight back and it lodges in the pad of the non-striker. He shakes it out and as there is no close fielder, the batsmen take a sharp single. What action do you take? (Law 23.1 (a) (iv))
Bob Eldridge The Circle! In the short form of cricket, ie T20 and 50 over matches, we all know that there are certain fielding restrictions where a certain number of players are allowed outside (the small oval that is now known as) “the Circle”. I wonder how many umpires continually twist about counting how many fielders are outside the circle especially after the initial overs when only 2 players are allowed out (and that is easy to pick up). Many umpires find it easier in the latter overs to count how many fielders are inside the circle. Many of us would have been amongst over 26,000 spectators at the T20 Big Bash at Adelaide Oval on New Year’s Eve (HNY to all) to see the Adelaide Strikers defeat the Perth Scorchers: what a great innings from “Maxy” Klinger with 86no from 55 balls. Great to see two of our members, Simon Fry and Paul Wilson, umpiring that match. And then Simon again in Strikers v Sydney Heat last Sunday, and again over 26,000 spectators. Simon is certainly a great crowd puller!
What are you thinking? No eyes in back of head So much Big Bash cricket on at the moment both live in Adelaide and on TV Players running and swapping positions on the boundary to inside the Circle is automatic in so many cases as part of their training: captains often have no say as pre-arranged plans are set in place and fielders “just do it”. Makes it hard for we umpires to keep track of where fielders are. In two recent matches, a fielder in each match just before the ball came into play charged to a position on the boundary in error as there were already 5 fielders on the boundary. In both cases, the no ball was not picked up and also in both cases, the offending fielder realised his error and quickly (possibly quietly) returned to the Circle after the ball was bowled. Law 41 Sticky Wicket has previously reminded umpires that when the ball comes into play and before the ball reaches the striker, the movement of fielders “walking in” must be towards the striker or his wicket. Contravention of this law requires a call of Dead Ball (not No Ball as some umpires think). In two separate Big Bash matches recently, a fielder in each match moved significantly to his left or right rather that towards the striker. In one case the commentators noticed and commented that it was stretching the law: in the other, the fielder walked sideways just behind the square leg umpire. One (or some) Short Has anyone noticed that during the recent Test matches, there were occasions that umpires were not watching for short runs. Is there an assumption that Test players do not “run short” or do they really have wide angle vision? Tracking Technology We are so used to the DRS in Test matches now that so often we as umpires watch for the replays as a means of our own assessments for our own learning. I for one do not trust all the tracking as shown, and in the 5th Test one of the radio commentators was, as I was, staggered at a decision for an LBW off Nathan Lyon being turned down on the tracking “replay” after the umpire said not out and Clarke called for the DRS. Bowling around the wicket (that seems to be an off break bowlers law these days) the ball, that turned very little, seen as it occurred, as shown in real time replay and in slow motion clearly hit the pads mid height with the ball clearly pitching about middle and appearing to be easily heading for leg stump. The tracking replay showed that the ball pitched outside leg, went straight and clipped the leg stump. No wonder Nathan had a long discussion with the umpire at the end of the over! That’s as I saw it as did some of my mates. Ed.
Coaches corner Psychiatrists vs. Bartenders EVER SINCE I WAS A CHILD, I'VE ALWAYS HAD A FEAR OF SOMEONE UNDER MY BED AT NIGHT. SO I WENT TO A SHRINK AND TOLD HIM: 'I've got problems. Every time I go to bed I think there's somebody under it. I'm scared. I think I'm going crazy.' 'Just put yourself in my hands for one year,' said the shrink. 'Come talk to me three times a week and we should be able to get rid of those fears.' 'How much do you charge?' 'Eighty dollars per visit,' replied the doctor. 'I'll sleep on it,' I said. Six months later the doctor met me on the street. 'Why didn't you come to see me about those fears you were having?' he asked. 'Well, Eighty bucks a visit three times a week for a year is an awful lot of money! A bartender cured me for $10. I was so happy to have saved all that money that I went and bought me a new pickup!' 'Is that so!' With a bit of an attitude he said, 'and how, may I ask, did a bartender cure you?' 'He told me to cut the legs off the bed! Ain't nobody under there now!'
Photo Gallery (XMAS Show)
What are you thinking? Interesting STATS 2013/14 Test Series Runs per Order Australia’s top 5 wickets: 602 runs and bottom 5 wickets: 842 England’s top 5 wickets: 592 runs and bottom 5 wickets: 218 So Australia won due to Haddin and other lower batters’ inputs! Was Haddin more important than Johnston? Colour Chris Rogers is colour blind and has trouble seeing pink. Seems to see red OK! 5th Test, 2nd Innings: Good Timing Unique Game From Will Macpherson reporting in The New Daily 2 Jan 2014 The following is reported by Will Macpherson prior to the start of the 5th Test in Sydney: “Test cricket is unique in its ability to prolong the pain that England are currently suffering. If Australia fail to advance from the “Group of Death” at the soccer World Cup this winter, they go home, they don’t have to play Spain, Holland or Chile again. When a player loses at the Rod Laver Arena in a fortnight’s time, they are out and that is it, likewise a golfer who fails to make the cut. England must stay and fight to save face.” Carnivals Talk about unique: how many cricket carnivals are on at the moment, and were before Christmas. To those umpires involved, thank you for your availability and importantly, enjoy, and remember to share enjoyment with players and their supporters. It is an important time for all involved, and many sacrifices of time and travel have been made to enable participation in carnivals. ….and last year there were more carnivals! Lehmann Australian Cricket Coach was asked how he wants his team to play: "with passion, hardness, enjoyment, and a sense of togetherness". This is a good mantra for we officials (umpires and scorers) too. 50 not out Congratulations are in order for Bill and Merilyn Penley on the occasion on 4th Jan last Saturday of their 50th wedding anniversary. What a feat.
Include in any new year resolutions: Keep watching the ball after it leaves the bowler’s hand! This is a hint that it is easy to watch the batter after the ball is released: that is what we normally naturally do when watching a game of cricket when not umpiring. The “staff” of Sticky Wicket invites comments from readers (he does!). Maybe we should start a “Letters to the Editor” section as encouragement. You can be anonymous and in any case, the editor reserves the right to edit submissions (before we went on line, and SW was available only at our monthly meetings, it is fair to say that we could be a little more “risqué”).
It’s Just a Game! Free at 16 It was many years ago since the embarrassing day when a young woman, with a baby in her arms, entered his butcher shop and confronted him with the news that the baby was his and asked what was he going to do about it? Finally he offered to provide her with free meat until the boy was 16. She agreed. He had been counting the years off on his calendar, and one day the teenager, who had been collecting the meat each week, came into the shop and said, "I'll be 16 tomorrow." "I know," said the butcher with a smile, "I've been counting too, tell your mother, when you take this parcel of meat home, that it is the last free meat she'll get, and watch the expression on her face." When the boy arrived home he told his mother. The woman nodded and said, "Son, go back to the butcher and tell him I have also had free bread, free milk, and free groceries for the last 16 years and watch the expression on his face!" Weight for it! We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Walking is good for you My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we have no idea where the hell he is. Walking can be expensive Walking can add minutes to your life at every exercise walk. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $4,000 per month. Skiing is good for you If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country. Fishy tale Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks o captivity, they can train people to stand on the edge of the pool and throw them fish?
Fastest 100 With thanks to Cricinfo for some of the following: A record that stood for more than 17 years was finally broken on New Year's Day in 2014. Corey Anderson bludgeoned the West Indies bowlers to score the fastest ODI century, off just 36 balls, eclipsing the record of 37 set by a 16-year-old Shahid Afridi in 1996. Anderson finished unbeaten on 131 and such was his savagery that he even managed to overshadow Jesse Ryder, who motored to the sixth quickest ODI century of all time. The pair powered New Zealand to a scarcely believable 283 in just 21 overs. Jesse Ryder on the other hand was more subdued! His six over long-off brought up his fifty off 23 balls. Three boundaries in an over off Bravo helped him speed towards his century and he got there with a single to short fine leg in the 19th over. It was also the sixth-fastest ODI ton, off just 46 balls. However, Anderson’s record may not count as rain shortened the third ODI between the two teams to a 21over match – less than the 25 required for the record books. These days ovals playing areas are smaller and this may have helped, but reports suggest that Anderson’s and Ryder’s innings would have stood on large grounds.