Holding slams Bell for behaving like an umpire

West Indies pace legend slams Ian Bell for assuming the role of umpire in the run out controversy

Holding slams Bell for behaving like an umpire

West Indies pace legend slams Ian Bell for assuming the role of umpire in the run out controversy

The Ian Bell controversy continued to be fresh enough to be discussed at the breakfast, lunch and tea time table here in Trent Bridge.

England's Ian Bell (centre) is reinstated to bat after being declared run
out just before tea interval on Day Three of the second Test. Pic/AFP

Former West Indies pace bowling great Michael Holding, orange in hand, was reminded of the good point he made the previous evening on Sky Sports about Bell taking on the role of the umpire and deciding to leave the ground for tea. Holding had a major problem with that. Mention the spirit of cricket and Holding appears to get livid, On Monday, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to withdraw the appeal against Bell and the England batsman continued to bat.

Bell, in his post match chat, said: "The right decision has been made and the spirit of the game has been kept." Holding heard that!

"You have got to be careful when you start talking about the spirit of the game," said Holding on air. "As far as I am concerned, Ian Bell should have been watching the rest of the game from the dressing room. Ian Bell automatically decided that he was the umpire.

"He automatically decided that, 'the session is over and I am heading for my cup of tea.' He has no right. The umpire decides what is four runs, the umpires decide when it is the end of the day's play or when the session is over. And Ian Bell should have been in the dressing room for the rest of the session," he added.

Yesterday, Holding in a casual conversation, wondered about the spirit of the game when Bell got an inside edge in the Sydney Test in the last Ashes series, consulted his partner Matt Prior about going for a referral and went on to make a century after the decision was overturned. Or for that matter when Harbhajan Singh got an inside edge on Saturday and was adjudged leg before wicket to Stuart Broad.

Just before lunch yesterday, former England coach, David Lloyd, now a commentator joined in the conversation among writers and commentators to say that a decision, as per the law, should be overturned on the field and not in the dressing room like. The decision to let Broad continue was taken in the dressing room.

And amidst talk of the spirit of cricket, Lloyd remembering a county game where the fielding side appealed for a run out because the batsman couldn't return to the field due to a collision. And he had to give it outu00a0-- because the rule said so.