Former international ump Piloo Reporter on why cricket's custodians need to learn from the Randiv-viru incident and change the rules Iu00a0have officiated in many matches in an umpiring career that has spanned over five decades, but never have I come across such a bizarre incident. The Suraj Randiv no-ball incident has embarrassed the cricketing world immensely. And honestly, I am not saying this because Virender Sehwag, an Indian, is at the receiving end. It was a classic case of lack of sporting spirit. And as some reports suggest, it is difficult to believe that a captain of an international team can stoop so low. Though I don't exactly know what instructions Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara gave Randiv because the instructions were given in the local language (Sinhalese). But if reports are true, it is a very shameful act indeed. I feel the match referee who has so much power to wield, becomes the strongest player off the field. Alan Hurst, the match referee, must look at the tapes and after he is fully convinced that there was any wrongdoing, he should recommend strong punishment to the offenders. Lankans again! Unless this happens, incidents like these will continue. Mind you, this is not the first time the Indians have been at the receiving end. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were subjected to similar treatment a few years ago. I am sure it is not just the Lankans. There are street-smart cricketers throughout the world. If the International Cricket Council wants the gentleman's game to be played in the right spirit, they should ensure such incidents are not repeated. Now is the time to start cracking the whip. The existing no-ball rule, in which the match ends there and then, is flawed. It is time to accept that the existing rules are not right and modify them accordingly. I wonder what would have happened had Sehwag hit the ball straight at Randiv and the non-striker ufffd India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in this case ufffd was out of his crease with the ball crashing into the stumps. Under normal circumstances, Dhoni would have been adjudged run out. But in this case, the match was over the moment Randiv bowled a no-ball. Therefore, Dhoni cannot be given out because the ball is dead at the time of the no-ball call. The layman is utterly confused as to what happens in such a scenario. Therefore, it is bad publicity for the game. Imagine what will happen if the people, who have made cricket the game that it is today, being unhappy, confused, or even feeling cheated?

Former international ump Piloo Reporter on why cricket's custodians need to learn from the Randiv-viru incident and change the rules

It's the stupid law!: Piloo Reporter

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Home / Sports / Cricket / Article / It's the stupid law!: Piloo Reporter

It's the stupid law!: Piloo Reporter

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