Concerns over the caliber of officiating in domestic matches have been raised after the questionable decision to bench Karnataka starter Prakhar Chaturvedi in the most recent Col. CK Nayudu Trophy U23 final versus Uttar Pradesh.
The disgusting occurrence occurred during Karnataka’s first over, after a pull by Chaturvedi that was played far away from his body against UP bowler Kunal Tyagi.
The ball drifted farther away from stumper Aaradhya Yadav, who had to do a full-length dive to his left in order to make the collection, after taking a very good edge off Chaturvedi’s bat.
However, before Yadav could finish the catch, the ball slid out of his hands even as the wicketkeeper thudded to the ground.
To the dismay of batsman Chaturvedi, who scored 33 and 86 in Karnataka’s first triumph in the event, which came as a result of their first-inning advantage here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the on-field umpire, however, upheld the appeal for caught behind.
“Yes, after seeing the clips, it was evident that the case was not over. Before the UP wicketkeeper could finish the catch, the ball left his hands. Under the condition of anonymity, a veteran first-class umpire told PTI that the umpire should not have given it out.
“Several aspiring cricket players use these junior tournaments as stepping stones, so it’s critical to maintain the highest standards.” Imagine the disappointment the youngster (Chaturvedi) would have felt to leave the crease after over an hour.
He said, “There is a direct correlation between umpiring standards and the overall caliber of a match.”
So how can accuracy and consistency in domestic umpiring be guaranteed?
“The selection procedure for umpires is under the stringent guidelines set by the BCCI, and several state organizations have their own umpire associations that strive to maintain high standards in officiating.
“However, I believe that former cricket players should be encouraged to become umpires since they have the most in-depth knowledge of the sport. Dickie Bird, David Shepherd, S Venkataraghavan, and Peter Willey were all outstanding umpires who drew from their sporting backgrounds, the speaker said.
Manoj Tiwary, a former batsman for India, has criticized the subpar umpiring in local cricket.
Another former First-Class batsman said that the domestic circuit often saw instances of incompetent umpires.
It is rather typical, particularly in youth cricket. However, I was struck on the hips in a Ranji (trophy) tournament, and the umpire gave it out previously. At the time, I was 48. I dismissed it, reasoning that everyone makes errors.
“However, the same umpire threw me out caught behind from a left-arm spinner in the following innings while I was batting on 45, even though my bat was securely tucked below my pads as I left the ball. He said, “Even the stupid point fielder was unable to conceal his amazement.
Although there have been attempts to raise the bar, like at the umpiring school in Nagpur, the problem has been a lack of consistency.
“Those were excellent ideas, but they did not quite work out as planned. For umpires, there is also online training offered by the ICC.
The umpire said, “But above and beyond all of this, the board should raise umpire compensation and make sure that first-class umpires officiate at the state level or even some local matches so that there is no gap between the assignments and they remain sharp.”