The action at the Cricket World Cup is well and truly beginning to heat up. A majority of the teams have landed in the Caribbean, the umpires’ lists have been announced, India is taking commandos with the team and the police in Trinidad are threatening to go on strike! Now it feels like a big event!
Among all the commotion going about at the moment as to whether facilities are ready, is enough security in place for all players and teams, whether Akhtar and Asif have realty doped, the umpiring lists have gone by unnoticed. What has also gone unnoticed is the fact that the ICC has taken the power of awarding a match to either side (in case of any eventuality) from the umpires and handed it over to the match referees. Not that the umpires would go about gifting matches on a whim, but it is a sign of things to come and another power, albeit minor, being wrested from the umpires.
Percy Sonn, the ICC President, said, “The Board’s decision reflects the fact that the match referee is the chief executive of the match, the person who has overall responsibility for the way the game is played and officiated. This decision does not, however, detract from the on-field role of the umpires and they would, of course, still remain an integral part of the process of awarding a match in those circumstances.”
Anyways… this had to happen and for all you know, there may not be a single on-field umpire by the 2011 World Cup. Just intrusive cameras!
Speaking of umpires, there will one gentleman missing this time around. David Shepherd, who had umpired in the last three World Cup finals along with Steve Bucknor will not be around. And this itself is a major change! Bucknor, for his part, would be hoping he doesn’t have to stand in the final. Not because of the pressure, but he would be hoping the West Indies make it to the final! There’s a wish.
Almost all teams have now arrived in the Caribbean at their locations and we are just a few days away from the warm-up matches. It’s a catch situation, these warm-up games, for a team won’t want to look weak and neither would want to give away too much of its strategy. It’s time the games began!