# Cricket Chaos **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621 "2006-08-21T17:57:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/1 "2006-08-21T17:57:37Z")
What is the scoop on [this](http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=114&ArticleID=1709528)? Was it a bad call? Did Pakistan cheat? Was the Silly Sod Off? ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/2 "2006-08-21T20:23:04Z")
The link pretty much explains what happened. It’s been all over the news programmes in the UK today. The umpires would have to be fairly sure that Pakistan cheated to change the ball and award penalty runs. The ICC (the world governing body for cricket) has charged Inzamam ul Haq with bringing the game into disrepute, both for ball tampering and for refusing to return to the field after the tea interval. Pakistan are very sensitive to allegations of cheating, as they have been accused of this before, though it’s never got to the stage of actually causing a match to be called off. They are now saying that Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire, is biased against them and they won’t take part in any more matches with him as umpire. This story will run for quite some time yet. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/3 "2006-08-21T21:58:28Z")
[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] The link pretty much explains what happened. It’s been all over the news programmes in the UK today. The umpires would have to be fairly sure that Pakistan cheated to change the ball and award penalty runs. The ICC (the world governing body for cricket) has charged Inzamam ul Haq with bringing the game into disrepute, both for ball tampering and for refusing to return to the field after the tea interval. Pakistan are very sensitive to allegations of cheating, as they have been accused of this before, though it’s never got to the stage of actually causing a match to be called off. They are now saying that Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire, is biased against them and they won’t take part in any more matches with him as umpire. This story will run for quite some time yet. [/QUOTE] What’s your personal take on it. Did they cheat? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/4 "2006-08-21T22:28:02Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] What’s your personal take on it. Did they cheat? [/QUOTE] [Here’s](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/default.stm) the BBC cricket page, which seems to have moved quite fast today. From listening to the radio most of the day, this seems to be evolving into a continuation of older feuds concerning the Umpire, and previous Pakistani behaviour. The concensus on the current instance of the BBC page seems to be that the umpire Darrell Hair has over-reacted. Anyways its a clusterfuck, and doesn’t bode well for the rest of the tour. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/5 "2006-08-21T23:08:30Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] clusterfuck [/QUOTE] Spot on. Either (a) the Pakistani team tampered with the ball, in which case everything that transpired was correct, or (b) they didn’t, in which case both the umpires’ inability to persuade the team to return to the game, plus the ineptitude of the umpires, plus the lack of adherence to the acceptence of decisions which makes cricket possible, all is very embarassing. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/6 "2006-08-22T00:31:51Z")
The Australian papers seem to back Hair. He has a reputation as a very competent umpire and a hard-ass, not willing to overlook things that others might let slide. I think the Pakistani team is only hurting itself by their behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/7 "2006-08-22T00:43:00Z")
[QUOTE=mks57] The Australian papers seem to back Hair [/QUOTE] Which is hardly a surprise. The Pakistanis’ claims of racism haven’t gone down well: [link](http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20203264-5001021,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/8 "2006-08-22T08:56:20Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] What’s your personal take on it. Did they cheat? [/QUOTE] I think they probably did, if only because they wanted to be sure of winning at least one Test match in this tour. A 3-0 series defeat would have been embarrassing. (But not half as embarrassing as what’s happened now.) Having said that, the TV coverage of the match has failed to catch them actually tampering with the ball. Bottom line, Hair is a tough umpire and the Pakistanis aren’t the only side to have had issues with his decisions in the past. Another umpire might well have been more lenient. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/9 "2006-08-22T10:11:59Z")
Looks like, while Hair may have over-reacted, Pakistan definitley did. Playing the race card, as Pakistan did, is just despicable. Hair is a hardass, but he is one of the most competent and consistent umpires going 'round. He’s also a hero in these parts for no-balling Muralitharin. When are Pakistan next in Australia? Something tells me they are in for a rough ride from the crowds next time they show their faces here! mm ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/10 "2006-08-22T10:15:47Z")
I heard former Aussie test player, now commentator, Geoff Lawson on radio today. He stated that Hair’s accusations appear to be very flimsy. It is hard to understand with the number of cameras covering every aspect of play why Hair would not simply report his suspicions to the match referee at the tea break and see if any evidence was forthcoming. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/11 "2006-08-22T10:55:38Z")
It looks like the England team [themselves](http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/engvpak/content/story/257401.html) might have started the (tampered) ball rolling… ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/12 "2006-08-22T12:24:26Z")
I’m Australian and I was there that sad day when Hair called Murali. I certainly don’t back him now and there were plenty at the G that day who didn’t then. I have never thought of him as a good umpire. He’s about average for the Panel for getting decisions right, but he’s obnoxiously officious and has a long record of getting players’ back up. As well as the Pakistanis and Sri Lankans, he’s also had major run-ins with the New Zealanders and the Sth Africans. If there was going to be a Test abandoned, he was always going to be the senior umpire standing in the match. That said, of course ball-tampering goes on. And maybe the ball looked suspicious. But the appropiate call was to get the other officials to keep their eyes peeled for evidence of someone doing it (ie, what **don’t ask** said). Just going on the condition of the ball is unsatisfactory and highly provocative. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/13 "2006-08-22T15:42:17Z")
…no, not the Pakistanis – the Americans! I am one, and I was intrigued to hear this story on the radio this morning, but having only watched four or five hours of cricket in my life, I confess that I don’t understand the subtleties at play here. My understanding of cricket encompasses the difference between 1, 2, and 6 (or is it 1, 3, and 6?) runs on a hit, a vague comprehension of a wicket and bails, the identity of a bowler and batsman and the silly mid-on, and the knowledge that Test is more prestigious than League. Can someone from the Mother Country (or a sister colony) please explain: - What kind of ball-tampering Hair alleged, and how tampering of any sort benefits the bowler / batsman? - What is “no-ball” and why was Hair’s previous “no-ball” of Murathi such a big deal? - Why Pakistan would cheat if they’d already lost the Test? Forgive me if I’ve butchered the sport slang. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/14 "2006-08-22T16:20:33Z")
[QUOTE=Jurph] - What kind of ball-tampering Hair alleged, and how tampering of any sort benefits the bowler / batsman? [/QUOTE] If you can damage the surface of the ball on just one side, so that there’s higher wind resitance on one side than on the other, you can make the ball move in unusual directions, making it harder for the batter to predict where it will travel. (The batting side never handles the ball, so they never get a chance to tamper with it.) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/15 "2006-08-22T16:22:03Z")
[QUOTE=hawthorne] But the appropiate call was to get the other officials to keep their eyes peeled for evidence of someone doing it (ie, what **don’t ask** said). Just going on the condition of the ball is unsatisfactory and highly provocative. [/QUOTE] Bear in mind that we’re only talking about a five-run penalty - Pakistan’s subsequent petulance was what caused the forfeit of the match. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/16 "2006-08-23T11:13:20Z")
[QUOTE=Jurph] - What is “no-ball” and why was Hair’s previous “no-ball” of Murathi such a big deal? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Wikipedia] A bowler delivers the ball toward the batsmen, using what is known as a bowling action: the elbow may be held at any angle and may bend further, but may not straighten out during the action. If the elbow straightens, it is an illegal throw and the delivery is called a no-ball. Under new cricketing law, after consultation with health experts, the bowler is allowed to straighten his arm 15 degrees or less, if the bowler straightens his or her arm more than 15 degrees it is called a “no ball”. This new law came in to prevent injury to bowlers. Usually, the bowler pitches the ball so that it bounces before reaching the batsman. Some part of the bowler’s front foot in the delivery stride (that is, the stride when the ball is released) must be behind the popping crease to avoid a no-ball (although the bowler’s front foot does not have to be grounded). The ball must also be delivered so it is within the batsman’s reach; otherwise it is termed a wide. A wide cannot be called if the batsman hits the ball. A wide or no-ball results in an extra run being added to the batting team’s score, and an extra ball being bowled in the over. [/QUOTE] The change in the rules to allow the bowler to straighten his arm by up to 15 degrees was a direct result of the controversy over Muralitharan’s bowling action. Muralitharan was seen to straighten his arm during delivery of the ball, and Hair’s attitude was that it was an illegal action and he “no-balled” Murali seven times in one match. What made things more awkward was that slow-motion analysis revealed that many other fast bowlers also straightened their arms during delivery, just not quite so much. [QUOTE=Jurph] Why Pakistan would cheat if they’d already lost the Test? [/QUOTE] They hadn’t lost the Test - they’d lost the series (4 Tests, of which this match was the fourth). They’d lost two and drawn one so far, so the best they could get was a 2-1 result over the series as a whole. But that was still better than 3-0. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/17 "2006-08-23T16:29:41Z")
To further clarify: When the umpire signals “no ball”, the batsman may still play and score runs. More typically he doesn’t, in which case his team is awarded one run. There’s a very rough analogy with a balk in baseball. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/18 "2006-08-23T16:33:37Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] If you can damage the surface of the ball on just one side, so that there’s higher wind resitance on one side than on the other, you can make the ball move in unusual directions, making it harder for the batter to predict where it will travel. (The batting side never handles the ball, so they never get a chance to tamper with it.) [/QUOTE] There’s an analog in baseball, which can be scuffed or doctored with a foreign substance (saliva, traditionally – the spitball). The penalty is ejection of the pitcher (bowler). ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/19 "2006-08-23T16:38:16Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] There’s an analog in baseball, which can be scuffed or doctored with a foreign substance (saliva, traditionally – the spitball). The penalty is ejection of the pitcher (bowler). [/QUOTE] The umpire in baseball will generally need more evidence than a scuffed baseball to throw a plaayer out. My reading of this seems to indicate that was the only evidence Hair had. Are they actually claiming they saw the captain scuff the ball? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621/20 "2006-08-23T16:41:34Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] The umpire in baseball will generally need more evidence than a scuffed baseball to throw a plaayer out. My reading of this seems to indicate that was the only evidence Hair had. Are they actually claiming they saw the captain scuff the ball? [/QUOTE] My understanding is that Hair’s initial decision was to award 5 runs to England, and to bring in a new (but semi-used) ball to replace the allegedly damaged one. He didn’t send any Pakistanis off the field: Pakistan decided to stage a boycott. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cricket-chaos/369621.md?page=2)