Aus skipper's attack on technology is not justified considering his poor success rate in recent Ashes series. So to suggest that his judgment is better than the technology that doesn't favour anyone is worthy of contempt it deserves
New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner appeals for a lbw verdict against Australia's Tim Paine during the Melbourne Test last week. Pic/Getty Images
India were widely vilified when they first resisted the use of DRS and Third Umpire referrals. The BCCI, perhaps influenced by India's cricketing royalty at the time, felt that the ball tracking and Snicko technology didn't always produce the correct decision, much to the chagrin of countries like Australia.
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It is indeed ironic then that Tim Paine, Australian captain by default when Steve Smith was busted for cheating, has brought the issue into sharp focus this week when expressing his anger at being given out lbw on review and missing out on a maiden Test century.
Despite video evidence that Australia so vociferously endorsed, showing that he was indeed out, Paine's petulant on-field reaction suggested that when it goes against him, his belief in the integrity of ball-tracking technology is now less than enthusiastic.
Just banter
Not long after, Paine's frustration boiled over when Ross Taylor was reprieved when he reviewed an lbw decision and the technology showed the ball missing the stumps. In a thinly veiled barb that was clearly meant for the stump mics, he effectively questioned Taylor's integrity by insinuating that he (Taylor) "must know the bloke in the truck". In other words, suggesting that Taylor and the official who operates the Virtual Eye DRS technology are 'compromised'. Naturally, the Australian camp played it down as "banter", that hoary old chestnut used whenever they say anything to an opposition player that might be deemed offensive. Remember last year when Paine asked Rishabh Pant if he could babysit his kids (can't recall any similar sledges to Quinton De Kock, Jonny Bairstow or BJ Watling) or when commentator Kerry O'Keefe made a racist comment about the Indian Railways canteen staff?
One man's banter is another man's hurt. Did Paine know the bloke in the truck in South Africa, the cameramen who caught his teammates cheating which then led to Paine suddenly being elevated to becoming Australia's captain? No wonder his nickname is Bradbury—in reference to an Australian skier who won Olympic Gold when the three skiers in front of him fell over. Paine is the only current Test captain who hasn't scored a Test century. In fact, most Test wicketkeepers have climbed that mountain yet thanks to the eagle-eyed South African cameraman, Paine ascended an unlikely and undeserved throne.
What Paine and Australia forget is that their decision-making around 50/50 decisions is appalling. In the recent Ashes series, Paine's success rate was 20%. That equates to being wrong 80% of the time. So to suggest that his judgment is better than neutral technology that doesn't deliberately favour anyone is worthy of the contempt it deserves. You win some, you lose some. It all balances out in the end. Presumably, Paine wasn't complaining when Kane Williamson was out for a second innings duck in Melbourne when ball-tracking showed the ball barely touching the left bail. His judgment was proved fallible an hour later when he reviewed an lbw of Tom Blundell that was clearly missing leg stump.
It's not often that Shane Warne makes much sense but his comment that teams should be limited to just one DRS per innings has some merit. It was meant for the absolute "howler" but it's now being used a tactical weapon to overturn 60/40 decisions. That was never the original raison d'etre for DRS.
Sporting Kiwis
The reality is that cricket's charm lies in the vagaries of opinion. Umpires have forever erred but very rarely have they deliberately cheated like so many cricketers have done over the years. It's about time more cricketers emulated the example being set by Kane Williamson who walked off the MCG after copping a very marginal lbw and showed that NZ's respect for the spirit of cricket goes much deeper than some pointless self-serving Player's Charter that could have been written by that bloke in the truck!
Michael Jeh is a Brisbane-based former first-class player
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