New Controversy: Wrong batsman takes strike; umpires fail to notice during IPL match

Photo: BCCI New Delhi: You might have seen this in gully cricket but for this to happen during an Indian Premiere League match you need umpires Nitin Menon and CK Nandan. The umpiring standards in IPL stooped to a new low during the Sunrisers Hyderabad Vs Mumbai Indians match in Mumbai. After wrong LBW decisions and failing to track outside edges the umpires this time forgot to direct who should take strike. David Warner faced the first ball of the seventh over even after hitting a boundary off the last ball of the sixth over. Umpires Nitin Menon and CK Nandan were caught napping as none of them realized that it was Shikhar Dhawan who should have taken strike on the first ball of seventh over and not Warner. Infact, opposition captain Rohit Sharma also failed to notice the huge goof up. The umpiring standards have already raised a few eye brows in the current edition of IPL but this was something that is not expected at this level of cricket. The IPL which has been rich on talent and have been home to top international cricketers has failed to achieve the same standards in terms of umpiring. This year there are only four umpires who are a full time member of ICC’s elite panel – Chris Gaffaney, Nigel Llong, Marais Erasmus and India’s S Ravi. The Indian umpires therefore have been entrusted with the huge responsibility of doing the job and by the recent turn of events one cannot be very hopeful about their abilities. Interestingly, it was umpire Nandan who had given a howler to Rohit Sharma in Mumbai Indians’ previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders.