Umpiring standard going down, UDRS could be last option: Dhoni

[f.b.m]

More importantly, I don’t buy into this idea that a sports contest has to be fair to both sides. I don’t think it ever is, or it was ever meant to be. What it was meant to be, is an entertaining spectacle. Unfortunately, with so much media hype and coverage and bastardization of the concept of sports with the infusion of all sorts things like patriotism etc, I think people take it too seriously and we end up missing the whole point. I would rather see an entertaining contest, than a fair contest. And by entertaining, I don’t mean people’s heads being blown off or stuff like that, but a bit of drama here and there, because it livens up the moment and adds the human element to it. But I guess most here don’t see it the way I do and I can understand that.

I would really question your idea of sports to begin with. If you want 'entertainment' without 'fairness' part, go to a snowball fight. Fairness and equality lie at the foundation of sport. You would know this since you probably played street games of cricket where a lamp post was the stumps and a guy doesnt walk away because he thinks the ball has gone too high. Thats hardly entertaining for anyone involved. And as for entertainment, its the job of the players to entertain and not the job of some old fat guy who is inept at his job. Besides, even umpires will tell you that their job is machine like except in a few cases. And if a machine can replace a human in applying the rules consistently and fairly, it should.

[Ram]

I would really question your idea of sports to begin with. If you want 'entertainment' without 'fairness' part' date=' go to a snowball fight. Fairness and equality lie at the foundation of sport. You would know this since you probably played street games of cricket where a lamp post was the stumps and a guy doesnt walk away because he thinks the ball has gone too high. Thats hardly entertaining for anyone involved.[/quote'] I guess my post was misconstrued and I can see why. As I said earlier, I didn’t use the word ‘entertainment’ to imply that I am fine with whatever on the fielf of play, no, not at all. The Pakistanis taking money to overstep while bowling is EXTREMELY entertaining, but I would never condone such a tactic, nor would I want such a thing ever happening. My point was that that whole debate of umpiring errors in cricket has been hijacked by the media and infused with too much rhetoric and emotion and the final outcome has been that logic has become a casualty. The Sydney test of 2008, which can be considered as a landmark moment for umpiring in cricket was not the complete breakdown of the mechanism of umpiring as it was portrayed to be. It was just 2 old men completely out of their minds, making one ludicrous decision after another. Unfortunately, the debate and discussion that followed soon was so supercharged that the ICC compelled to do something, instead of the right thing. The solution was not to completely overhaul the existing system, as they chose to do,but to empower the 2 men on the field so that they cut their errors and make better decisions. I have long been campaigning for the latter. I am all for a level playing field, but I am also willing accommodate external elements within the game that has the potential to swing the game either way, only as long as the external interference is completely non-biased. It is for this same reason that I have long advocated that we prepare spin-friendly pitches at home. Some people might call it unfair play, but I am fine with it because it’s the same pitch for both the teams. I want us to prepare spin-friendly pitches because I think our players are best equipped to take advantage of them. But hey, if there’s an opposition player out there who can use it as well, then good luck to him. Same with the umpiring as well. I can live with umpiring errors, only as long I know that the error was inadvertent and not intended.

[Sachin=GOD]

No UDRS in South Africa-India Tests http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/content/current/story/489748.html :((