Umpire hora!

‘Umpire hora’ is a famous cry in this country whether be it at backyard cricket after school, soft ball games played on the Parliament grounds during the weekend, inter-school fixtures or even during international games. Some 25,000 ardent cricket fans were yelling the same on Wednesday night as Sri Lanka lost a tense game against Afghanistan at Dambulla by a mere three runs.

Not just those fans who witnessed the game at the Dambulla stadium but the majority of the hundreds of thousands who saw it on television seemed to be convinced that Umpire Lyndon Hannibal, a Sri Lankan and no foreigner, got it awfully wrong that night. His fault was that he didn’t call a no ball after Wafadar Momand sent down a high full toss. A waist high full toss is called a ‘no ball’ and a free hit given according to playing conditions. This contentious delivery was not just waist high but a chest high full toss and should have been called a no ball. Did Hannibal cost Sri Lanka the game? Well, we will never know.

If that delivery had been called a ‘no ball,’ Sri Lanka would have got a free hit, an additional run and would have needed 10 runs in three balls to win the game and sweep the series. Could Kamindu Mendis have pulled it off? Quite possible. But here’s what we do know though. Sri Lanka have never successfully chased more than 200 runs to win a T-20 International

It’s a Sri Lankan trait to blame all else but themselves when things don’t go our way. The team didn’t lose the game because of Hannibal. They lost the game because they gave Ramanulah Gurbaz two lives when he was on 22 and 55. Their poor ground fielding conceded more than 10 runs. Kusal Perera, Nuwan Thushara and Akila Dananjaya are past their best as they are a liability on the field.

Another reason why Sri Lanka lost was that Matheesha Pathirana gave away 10 wides. You can even hold Pathum Nissanka responsible for the loss. His fitness standards were below par and he was forced to retire having made a terrific 60 off 30 balls. But we don’t talk about any of these reasons. Despite so many flaws within the team, the Sri Lankan captain found a scapegoat by calling ‘umpire hora’ loud and clear. Hasaranga was the Pied Piper and Sri Lankan fans blindly followed him.

Many people who have played the game at grassroots levels have been taught the golden rule never to question the umpires’ authority. Late Lionel Mendis had a rule that a dismissed batsman had to put his head down and walk back to the pavilion faster than he had walked in whether he agreed with the umpire’s decision or not. Late Bertie Wijesinha had got his players to ‘sir’ the umpires and some of his schoolboys greeted umpires that way even when they had moved on to the international stage.

Vernon Senanayake, another reputed cricket coach, taught his players ‘unquestioned obedience’ for he believed that when players moved on from schoolboys to adults, the trait would stand them in good stead in their workplace. Sadly, these values are not taught by coaches anymore. Now it’s all about win at any cost. The fault is not with Hasaranga but the people who have coached him.

It was an ugly scene as Hasaranga argued with the umpire. Then he walked into the media center and tore apart the umpire calling him a ‘misfit’. When questioned what exactly he told Hannibal after the game, Hasaranga revealed that he had asked the umpire whether he was a Sri Lankan. Sensibly, Sri Lanka Cricket deleted that part when posting the press conference in their social media platforms. It is clear indication that SLC did not agree with their captain.

On SLC’s part it needs to be asked why they opted for Hannibal as the on field umpire and Ruchira Palliyaguruge as television umpire. Palliyaguruge is Sri Lanka’s most experienced and decorated umpire after Kumar Dharmasena and he should have been on field and not sitting in the comfort of an air conditioned enclosure. Overall, it must be said that Hannibal or his colleague Ravindra Wimalasiri lost control of the game. Quite surprising for someone of Wimalasiri’s stature for he is a Chief Inspector of Police.

Even at school level, many facets of a player are looked at before making him captain of the team. At national level we seem to look at performance and seniority only. A captain is the ambassador of a country. He cannot behave like a bull in a China shop.

We have had players who have taken umpiring decisions on the bump. Kumar Sangakkara was batting like a king in Hobart in 2007 when umpire Rudi Koertzen gave him out wrongly. Sanga was on 192. The umpire realized the error and visited the Sri Lankan dressing room to apologize to Sanga. They buried the hatchet by visiting one of the best bars in Tasmania with Rudi paying the bill. That’s the way it should be.

Had Sanga scored that double hundred, he would have ended on par with a certain Sir Don Bradman’s tally of double centuries. Furthermore, no one was complaining when Umpire Kumar Dharmasena let Dinesh Chandimal off the hook in Galle in 2022. Chandimal was on 20 and was clearly caught behind off Mitchell Starc. Chandimal went on to post a stunning double hundred. Sri Lanka won the Test match and drew the series. Australia were feeling the pinch but didn’t make a hue and cry.

Cricket is a great leveler. There are some decisions that go your way and some that go against you. It’s the same with life. In both games, gentlemen should not get carried away and need to remain with their feet firmly planted on the ground.