Monday 4th August, 2006 11 Splitting hairs over an issue of law copyright Kolkata – Reading the headlines in which first found its way into the law this bustling city with its growing mod- book in the 2000 code, and from Law 1 ern façade, suggests that some of South and through to Law 42, and their myriad Asia's administrators are planning to of notes, it is not all about Tests and tear up the law book. international matches. The full set of And by taking the 'law' into their own laws covers the game from your lowly hands, as it were, they are really turning fourth Sunday Social Club side (or lower it into a decidedly 'hairy' subject. Or mercantile league) through to school, should that not be hair-raising? club, first-class and Test level. All laws of the game Yahaluweni are Just how they plan to get around that open to interpretation. However, to sug- is interesting. It is a little like a hacker, gest scrapping law 21, Note 3 (umpires once having accessed the central bank awarding a match), is as dangerous a files decides he doesn't like what he sees precedent as is that of stripping Law 42, and decides removing files with which Note 3 (changing the condition of the he doesn't agree and wrecks the whole match ball) from the books as well. software package. You cannot do that All this mind you, over what is really without understand why the law was an umpires' application of the law. There there in the first place. is though the feeling of how administra- Sure, Hair has made a fool of himself they bring out the verbal fisticuffs? The Also, Inzamam, whose name has sign. How they dish out licences to driv- tors advocating the changes, no matter and the way he handed the particular list is growing. Here Asgiriya, Kandy cropped up regularly when it comes to ers such as this is as remarkable as the how well meaning they are, have not unsavoury episode at The Oval. 2000 springs to mind. Waqar Younis was being fined for bringing the game into Hair and Doctrove escapade at the Oval. really thought the issue through. And Remember that there are two umpires caught on camera more than once doing disrepute, could find himself in trouble The two NDTV colleagues who such comments as these are not going to handling a game – not one. It's all been what he shouldn't have been doing in of his utterances about Hair this past shared the taxi were as bemused by the sit too well with friends in Colombo or about Hair; what about the other culprit terms of Law 42, note three, and ICC week. Is he talking from a position of driver and his general attitude towards Mumbai. in this pantomime? Can he be labelled match referee John Reid slapped a match strength, that he is going to get off with- not only the three passengers but also But hey, just a gentle reminder. First, anti-Asian as well? Racist even? Hardly. ban on him. out being questioned? Under the ICC the authorities. before any alteration to any law is made His role in this fiasco is barely been Pakistan called Reid a racist and code of conduct, he could be digging a The one to sympathise with here is for- the Asian administrators need to get mentioned. Why? wanted him banned from handling an deeper swimming pool in which to floun- mer Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle, around the small matter of copyright. It has all been about putting the boot Asia Test championship match in der. the man who has to hear the charges and The laws (of cricket), you see, are copy- into the imperialist bully Hair and for- Pakistan the following year as well as Anyway, in this part of the world, it sift through the evidence. Such is his rep- righted and have been for more than 200 getting the West Indian Doctrove. Yet he utation for fairness and integrity, the years. The copyright belongs to the was the television umpire who on June 5 Pakistan authorities are quite happy to Marylebone Cricket Club and this small was responsible for one of the more wait for the senior ICC match referee to be matter of the status quo has chaotic Test episodes this year. free of worrying family obligations to existed since the MCC was Doctrove couldn't decide It has been argued that had Madugalle, the senior hear the case. founded in 1787. whether Daren Ganga had ICC match referee handled the fourth Test of the It has been argued that had Madugalle, So unless the collective caught Mahendra Dhoni on the senior ICC match referee handled the Asian Cricket Council admin- the boundary off the bowling England/Pakistan series at The Oval, the whole fourth Test of the England/Pakistan istration plan to charge into of left-arm wrist spinner Dave unseemly episode would not have occurred. Having series at The Oval, instead of being in Lord's and hijack the copy- Mohammed in the first Test in Colombo, the whole unseemly episode right, the views expressed St John's Antigua. been in charge of the first three Tests, the would not have occurred. Having been in about changing the laws needs After about twenty minutes games were handled as smoothly and as efficiently charge of the first three Tests, the games to be clarified. of confusion (it was seriously were handled as smoothly and as efficient- Of course there is a nifty poor camera work anyway as as you would expect. ly as you would expect. way around this impasse. The the cameraman was tracking It was Madugalle, for those who care to International Cricket Council Trevor the ball for another six), remember last year's Ashes Tests, who is moving in a direction that Chesterfield Doctrove shrugged his shoul- steered the series through moments of suggests the laws are under ders. The evidence was incon- fractious trepidation, high drama, and constant review and the MCC copyright clusive. He was too 'chicken' - to use a Colombo. The ICC told Pakistan where not only depends on what law you want trauma. Three players were fined during is a problem area that needs to be favourite current Sri Lanka word - to they could go with such claims and Reid to apply. It is how you do it that counts. the Tests with Ricky Ponting found 75 per- worked around. Unbelievably, this matter give a decision and left it to on-field remained referee. A former Test captain, As we discovered in the City of Joy, taxi cent of his match fee. Ponting's fine was was discussed with Darrell Hair in umpires, Australian Simon Taufel and who had toured Pakistan, was not going drivers, like those in most Asian coun- for 'conduct unbecoming his status (cap- February while he was in Colombo at the Pakistan Asad Rauf to do the job for to bow to threats and intimidation. Like tries drive like maniacs and rip you off tain), which could bring him or the game ICC Youth World Cup opening ceremony. him. most New Zealanders when it comes to for the pleasure of taking you for a ride. into disrepute. The subject of the laws and the MCC In stepped Brian Lara, telling Dhoni fronting up to issues, Reid was not pre- A six kilometre journey from Eden This was for the run out incident at copyright was mentioned in passing and that he should take a hike back to the pared to stand back and allow the laws to Gardens to the hotel on Friday afternoon Trent Bridge where he threw some choice Hair said at the time it was an area now pavilion as he was out. Dhoni wasn't hav- be flouted. ended in serious confusion when the Australian vernacular at the England bal- under review. It wasn't a personal view ing any of this. It was only when Ganga It is a matter of professionalism and driver became so embroiled in an argu- cony (namely their coach Duncan either, but one where he indicated how felt the catch was 'fair' did Dhoni walk. Reid, as with other liked-minded Kiwis, ment with one of the Kolkata traffic con- Fletcher) after being run out by the substi- the ICC were eager to improve areas of Did the Indians act like children, or is not afraid of getting his hands dirty stabulary we thought that along with the tute fielder Gary Pratt. law interpretation and make them easier the West Indians that matter? No admin- when there is cleaning up to do. vehicle and occupants he would be Despite the allegations by the to understand. istrator began questioning the umpires, David Shepherd banned Waqar from locked up for the night. It added more Australians none of the four umpires in The problem with emasculating or saying Doctrove was incompetent (which completing the over at the Wanderers, confusion to a traffic system that is that series, Aleem Dar, Rudi Koertzen, removing laws merely because they are he was in this case) and should be kicked Johannesburg in Pakistan's opening already organised chaos, all of this Billy Bowden and Steve Bucknor reported in the law book (and for a very good rea- off the panel. No one was demanding game of CWC03. This was after bowling adding to the quixotic ambience of the anything infringing law 42, note 3. son) and cover tricky areas of interpreta- that the wording of the law be changed.