Umpiring killing West Indies cricket

It is said that the fast bowlers do not have the speed, direction, determination, physical strength and mental toughness as Holding, Walsh, Garner, Ambrose or Croft.

They say that the batsmen do not have the technique, mental alertness and grit as Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Gomes and Sobers. So the advice is to build a new team, open an academy and hire foreign coaches. Yet the problem continues and one important factor has not been touched. Umpiring and the Umpires.

Yes! The umpiring and the umpires remain the same. The umpires have hawk eyes for West Indies bowlers. They see when our bowlers pitch the ball 0.225 of a ? inch outside the leg stump.

Our batsmen feel the wrath of umpires whenever they seem to be comfortable. No batsman is given the benefit of the doubt by the umpires. There are numerous times when the third umpire should be considered but as long as it is a West Indian the presiding umpire is never in doubt. And how often have we seen them to be so-called errors. The umpires are often said to be humans and can make errors. So many against West Indians! Balony!

The Pakistan Cricket Board has come out in defence of Inzimam Ul Haq who got a raw deal recently. You know our Cricket Board would have blamed the batsman for trying to take evasive action.

That is because they do not know better. People with cricketing sense and the love for cricket have not been holding top posts recently. You only have businessmen whose only love is the love for money.

Umpires should be made to pay for all those obvious errors. They are given too much privilege which has made them a law unto themselves. Are the authorities waiting for a Cronje situation to emerge before something is done about the umpires and the umpiring. A football referee was just jailed for what we accept as an error.

LYSTRA LYTHE

Sangre Grande