What has happened to the game of cricket? It used to be a game played by gentlemen, where there were standards, but it has sadly lost its way.
England’s Jason Roy is being slammed by some for his reaction when given out in his team’s semi final slaughter of some people’s tournament favourites, Australia.
He has been fined 30% of his match fee for his behaviour and has two demerit points against his name for the next two years.
Demerit points stay on a player’s disciplinary record from the date of enforcement for a period of two years. If Roy is handed two more demerit points, he will run the risk of a suspension point. Two of these will then lead to a ban of one Test match or two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever is scheduled first.
Yet has this whole situation lost context?
Roy’s behaviour is being made out to be far worse than it appeared to many who actually played the game. He was on 85 when he attempted to play a pull shot off a short ball from Pat Cummins. He missed by a fair margin. Something that was confirmed by television replays. Wicket-keeper Alex Carey dived to his left and pulled off a great grab, and then went up in appeal along with the bowler and some of the Australian fielders.
Umpire Kumar Dharmasena looked uncertain at first but then raised his finger to give Roy out caught behind.
The batsman immediately signalled for a review. However England had lost that review opportunity after foolishly reviewing an LBW decision which saw Johnny Bairstow clearly and correctly adjudged to be out.
Roy immediately looked shocked, as well he might have been. He is heard on the stump microphone asking, “he’s not given that out?” He looks to the Australian fielders as if to say, ‘you know I didn’t hit it,’ but not surprisingly they ignore him.
Umpire Marais Erasmus moved in from square leg and tried to usher Roy away from the wicket. Eventually and reluctantly he slowly made his way from the wicket and as he did so the stump microphone picked him up saying “that’s F#$king embarrassing.”
The truth is he was 100% right. It was a dreadful decision by the umpire, and if the Australians knew he did not get a touch, dreadful to claim the wicket; albeit understandable as he was destroying their bowling with 85 runs off 65 balls! One has to ask if Adam Gilchrist had been behind the stumps, whether the catch would have been claimed?
Even the hardened competitor Rod Marsh recalled Derek Randall in the Centenary Test Match after he had been given out, the wicket-keeper admitting that he had not taken the ball cleanly.
Putting the incident in context, Jason Roy playing in his first World Cup tournament started the World Cup in great form he scored 54 against South Africa, eight against Pakistan, and 153 against Bangladesh.He then missed England’s matches against the West Indies, Afghanistan Sri Lanka and Australia through injury. He returned for England’s victory over India and notched 68. He recorded another 50 scoring 60 against New Zealand.
Here was a batsman desperate to prove a point. Here was a batsman desperate to take the game to the Australians. A match in which the rivalry is unsurpassed. A match that if England won they would play in their first World Cup final since 1992.
Since 1992 Australia has played in every single ODI World Cup final except for one in 2011. In those six tournaments they have won four World Cup titles. They were clearly the team to beat. In addition to those statistics Australia had played seven World Cup semi-finals and had not lost any before 2019. They have lifted the trophy five times to England’s none. In the last four World Cup meetings Australia had won every time.
So there was a lot riding on the match. It was clear when England were fielding that the side was up for the challenge. So is it any wonder that a batsman shows shock, surprise and then frustration when give out when he hasn’t touched the ball and when he is on the verge of a memorable century?
Did the match referee Ranjan Madugalle, who presumably handed down the punishment, or certainly recommended a punishment be meted out, take into consideration the situation and the circumstances that led to Roy’s outburst?
Some may question whether also being from Sri Lanka he was protecting his fellow countryman who was guilty of giving the wrong decision.
Once again this whole situation raises the issue as to why video umpiring came into being. It was created precisely to eliminate decisions such as this, which have clearly been made in error.
Should the TV Umpire have the ability to take a look at the decision and then tell the umpire on the pitch of his mistake? If it is about getting decisions right then the ICC must look at this for the future.
Another alternative is to give each batsman one referral. Then you avoid a situation such as this where a top order batsman has wasted a review in the blind hope he may not be out, rather than using it when he knew he wasn’t.
The amazing thing is Roy was at one time looking at being rubbed out for the final. Administrators need to remember why people come to watch, they want to be entertained. So the last thing you want is to rub out the entertaining players from your showcase game. That would be foolish.
Yes, Jason Roy questioned the authority of the umpires, which was wrong, but as he stated he clearly did not hit it. He was actually right! There have been many a player who has made a similar stance in the past 142 years the game has been played internationally. Was his behaviour really that bad? Did he swear at the umpire before that one comment muttered as he trudged disconsolately from the Edgbaston pitch?
His comment picked up by the stump microphone was a statement that few can argue with. Was it because he used the F Word? The F-Bomb is heard now on talk shows and regularly on television and is far from being as taboo as it was. In fact it is regularly heard in many a sporting contest these days.
One cannot help but feel that this has all been a bit of a storm in a tea-cup. As Cricket is no longer a game played and administered by gentlemen. So how can we expect people to behave as such.
Former Australian opening batsman Ed Cowan, who respected the values of old throughout his career has taken the moral high ground on the issue. He is sadly one of the few in a position to do so. Were there more of his ilk then his words would have more resonance. Sadly the bar was lowered a long time ago and that is what makes this incident which once upon a time would have been ungentlemanly, now seem trite.
