Asoka De Silva

[Doctor]

Its just like the home side decisions in league.

Many rugby league referees will tell you that no such factor occurs.
One high-profile rugby league referee told me that despite public insistance that it does occur, no amount of crowd booing or cheering affects his decisions.

He claims that all referees get used to the crowd, and actually filter them out of their minds.

This theory from the men in the middle works completely against the popular opinion that crowd booing will win their side a penalty - or at least alert a referee to a problem in backplay.

This is a cricket thread, I know. But on the topic of sports officials, in may well be that cricket umpires possess a similar ability to shut crowd noise out.

I know one touch football referee I know used to deliberately favour the away team or the team that he knew less - this was done to make up for any perceived biases towards a side that he knew better or the local side.

It is disturbing information - albeit on a local level - but perhaps an indication of how aware officials are of the perception of favourtism. That's what all this anti-referee and anti-umpire ranting does.

 

[Iafeta]

Shocker. On a par with Darryl Hair, well, nearly on a par with him

What, may I ask, is wrong with Darrel Hair? Fair enough some of the criticism of Asoka De Silva, I sometimes wonder how he got on the elite panel originally too. But Hair is a pretty good umpire, perhaps not the best on the panel, but hardly worthy of the 'shocker' tag.

There seems to be an impression people have that umpiring is easy. How many have umpired a proper game of cricket? Furthermore, how many have umpired 100 overs in a day, or umpired for five days, 90 overs per day?

It is easy to make criticisms of umpires from the comfort of your lounge chair, or indeed the comparitive comfort of your computer desk, but to get out there and do the job takes a lot more than you think.

I wouldn't want to be an international cricket umpire - far too much pressure and unfounded criticism, even when you get it right.

You're dead set kidding on Hair aren't you? Please, please tell me you are. I'm sure you are so I won't be overly judgmental in the following statements.

Look at all the leg befores he gave when Warne was ripping them, batsmen playing forward, how far has it got to go and how much has it already done. Besides the fact a lot of them have pitched outside leg, or have taken an inside edge, there was a period in the mid to late 90s when Hair was going up as quick as Warne. Lets be absolutely honest and brutal on that, please. One of the worst from recent memories of his was Lou Vincent in his test debut being given out caught at slip when he missed a leg spinner by a good 40 centimetres television cameras showed. The fact is his finger was up as Warne turned around to appeal.

Hair is a shocker. Nothing short of it whatsoever. I couldn't agree more umpiring is difficult, but Hair was a disgrace umpiring Warne and at times McGrath. It was so obvious, Michael Holding has practically had fits when he's commentated over here, and he's not the only one, he's about the only one with nuts to make an issue of it.