Slow over-rates and frequent ball modifications have been the foremost speaking factors of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy up to now. Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja additionally drew flak for allegedly ignoring the umpire’s message to get on with the sport when he was having a drink between overs throughout the third Test at Lord’s.
As a number of former cricketers, together with former England captain Michael Atherton, criticised the umpires for shedding their grip on the sport, legendary umpire Dickie Bird believes that it’s necessary for the match officers to be robust and ensure that they’ve the final phrase on the sphere.
“The spectators pay a lot of money to watch Test matches nowadays. Too many stoppages is not good for Test cricket as it loses interest and that’s where the umpires need to be strong and tell the players that they should get going and such stoppages won’t be tolerated,” Bird advised The Hindu.
The 92-year-old, who has adopted the sequence intently, believes the DRS has diminished the authority of the umpires barely. “Now, I see they are changing the ball every now and then, and that automatically slows down the game, but the umpires should make sure that they don’t allow unnecessary breaks as it kills the buzz,” he mentioned.
“In my time, I would jokingly tell the players, ‘come on, lads, get on with the game, let’s not kill the (charm) of the game.’ We would have a good laugh and I ensured that we were back in action as quickly as possible,” Bird, who officiated in 66 Tests and 69 ODIs, mentioned, including: “My era also had some great characters, but we still got going without (much trouble).”
