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AMID the circus of the umpiring howlers at Queens Sports Club, which helped New Zealand claim the two Test duel against Zimbabwe, it was difficult not to feel that, somehow, there has always been a conspiracy against this country when it comes to cricket. The Black Caps were better, no doubt about that, but everyone expected them to do better than the Chevrons who were only playing their first Test match after a lengthy absence from this format of the game.That Zimbabwe even took the two Tests into day four (for the first one) and day five (for the second one) was indeed a small achievement for the Chevrons.
And, the second one should probably have ended in a draw had it not been for the poor decisions by the umpires.
But, given that this isn’t an isolated event, we have to ask whether they still want us to play this game?
These reports, generated elsewhere, tell a story.
UMPIRING HOWLERS HAND NEW ZEALAND 254-RUN WIN (CRICBUZZ)
Thirty-five minutes into the second session – that’s all it took for New Zealand to wipe off the last five Zimbabwean wickets on the final day of the second Test match and register a massive 254-run win at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe’s second innings ended on 132 as New Zealand swept the series 2-0 on Wednesday.
It was worth deliberating whether it was poor umpiring that robbed Zimbabwe off a draw that the hosts had been working extremely hard towards. Having lost three wickets in quick succession in the dying minutes of Day 4, Craig Ervine, centurion from the first innings, and nightwatchman Donald Tiripano showed resolute defence to keep the New Zealand bowlers at bay in the first one and a half hours.
With the pitch not offering any pace or bounce, the conditions weren’t favourable for the bowlers.
However, the pace trio of Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee kept running in hard and doing it’s bit to cause some trouble for the batsmen.
Tiripano, especially, dealt with the challenge with great application as he left the ball outside off, swayed away from bouncers and played with a straight bat anytime the ball was in line of the stumps.
Along with Ervine, he successfully saw through the first hour of play without any trouble.
During the course of their stand, which lasted 22.2 overs, the odd boundary also kept coming as the scoreboard moved from the overnight score of 58 for 3 to 97.
It had soon become obvious, much like their approach in the first innings, Zimbabwe were not in pursuit of the total.
Their target, instead, was to see through the overs and register a moral victory with a draw.
The fourth-wicket stand came to an end when Mitchell Santner hit Tiripano on the pads, and the umpire declared the batsman out.
Just like first innings, replays suggested that Tiripano should have continued instead, as the ball was hitting him outside leg and going on to miss. If one poor decision wasn’t enough to derail Zimbabwe’s charge for a draw, even Ervine was given marching orders, at the stroke of Lunch, for a caught behind appeal.
As Heath Streak described it, there was ‘daylight’ between the bat and the ball.
The dismissals not only reduced the home team to 112 for 5 at Lunch but also punched their morale.
A session where Zimbabwe had managed to keep New Zealand at bay, ended with the balance tilting in the favour of the visitors.
Prince Masvaure’s stay at the crease was a struggle.
Masvaure, who was fortunate to survive for as long as he did, eventually became victim of the third incorrect decision of the day by the on-field umpires.
Despite the fact that the ball lobbed up off his pads, the batsman was declared caught by Ross Taylor at second slip.
ZIMBABWE RUE CONTROVERSIAL OVERRULE BY THIRD UMPIRE (CHANNEL NINE, AUSTRALIA)
March 12, 2006
Zimbabwe have been left to rue a controversial overrule by the third umpire after being knocked out by minnows Afghanistan at the World T20.
The African nation looked to be on their way to exposing their opponents’ tail after Malcolm Waller took a diving catch in the deep to dismiss middle order batsman Samiullah Shenwari in a first round Group B match.
The inches-above-the-ground catch was instantly hailed by the commentators as a legitimate wicket – even after seeing a replay of the incident.
However, the umpires weren’t completely convinced Waller had taken the catch cleanly and referred the decision to third umpire Ian Gould.
After watching a series of replays to reach his decision, the veteran umpire declared the ball had hit the ground before Waller wrapped his fingers around it.
“Not out, not out, not out, I have conclusive evidence that is not out,” Gould told field umpire Aleem Dar.
The decision left the Zimbabweans frustrated and the commentators mystified, with one pundit again raising the debate surrounding video technology.
“Well, I’m not sure I agree with that decision,” the commentator said.
“Now this is what happens when you go to technology or camera sort of replays for low catches.”
The overrule helped Afghanistan roar into the main draw of the World Twenty20 with an emphatic 59-run victory.
WEST INDIES SLAMMED FOR ‘MANKAD’ RUN-OUT
(www.stuff.co.nz)
February 3, 2016
In a week where the 35th anniversary of the 1981 underarm delivery is being recognised, junior West Indian players have come up with their own dastardly act at the U-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh. The team have been labelled “absolutely disgraceful” after winning through to the quarterfinals by taking the final Zimbabwe wicket by the “mankad” dismissal – where the bowler removes the bails before delivering the ball to run out the non-striking batsman who is caught out of his crease when preparing to run.
Fast bowler Keemo Paul performed the act on Richard Ngarava when Zimbabwe needed just three runs off the last over for victory. The umpires even asked the West Indies players whether they wanted to withdraw their appeal, but they declined.
Former Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming said it was “absolutely disgraceful” behaviour, while England’s Jos Buttler called it “embarrassing”.
West Indies captain Shimron Hetmyer said he was comfortable with the outcome.
“I would say yes, cricket is a game of uncertainties, we’ve seen it happen in cricket before, it’s not a big deal for us,” he said.
But he did admit that the dismissal was “probably not” in the spirit of the game.
I am disappointed with the way the game ended. I have debriefed the boys in the dressing room and they were all crying,” Mangongo said.
“We have explained that technically the run-out is legal. We left it to the last man and we should not have done that. It was a hard lesson and they have learnt it the hard way.
“I am proud of my boys. Restricting the West Indies for 226 on a batting-friendly wicket was a good performance and we were up for the chase. And like any other games, we lost quick wickets under pressure.”
West Indies coach Graeme West admitted he felt sorry for Zimbabwe .
“I can imagine what they must be going through now. I feel sorry for them because they got themselves into winning positions and then we pulled it back. I share their disappointment,” he said.
• The West Indies went on to win the World Cup
ZIMBABWE FUME OVER CONTROVERSIAL CATCH AT WORLD CUP (DAILY MAIL, UK)
March 7, 2015
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor insisted his team had been victims of a World Cup miscarriage of justice on Saturday when Ireland fielder John Mooney held a crucial catch despite indications he had touched the boundary with his foot.
Ireland won the tense Pool B match by five runs after setting Zimbabwe a huge 332-run total to chase and stay in the tournament at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval.
With Zimbabwe needing 32 to win off 20 balls and with four wickets left, Sean Williams, on 96, launched a huge hook off Kevin O’Brien towards deep midwicket where Mooney reached high to grab the ball.
But as he claimed the catch, the big Irishman appeared to slightly touch the boundary cushion with his foot which should have resulted in a six.
As the decision was examined, Williams left the Bellerive Oval pitch and the catch stood.
“You’ve got to take his (Mooney’s) word for it. They zoomed in, and I thought it was pretty clear. But you’ve got to take the fielder’s word,” said Taylor who hit a blistering 121 with 11 fours and four sixes as his team chased what would have been a record score.
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