David Warner has come up with a radical idea to promote accountability in umpiring in cricket, calling for the ICC to put umpiring stats on big screens at matches.
Warner was left fuming against Sri Lanka when he was dismissed by an umpire’s call with a ball that was clipping leg stump.
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Umpire Joel Wilson fired Warner out when the ball crashed into his pads, with the Aussie sending the call immediately to the third umpire.
But he erupted in anger when the review showed that it was clipping leg stump.
Former Aussie cricket Shane Watson said the dismissal “didn’t look exactly like it was going to smashing into middle or middle and leg”.
If Wilson had given it not out and Sri Lanka reviewed, Warner would have been not out.
Kiwi Ian Smith said in commentary: “He gets the message David Warner. He’s none so happy about it.
“But he cannot argue with technology. He leaves the ground in a huff it is fair to say.”
Some fans suggested Warner deserved a ban or a fine for his outburst, claiming it brought the game into “disrepute”.
But rather than back down on his actions, Warner has doubled down, calling for the umpires to be treated like players.
“Players’ stats go up on the board as you walk out to bat,” he said.
“When they announce the umpires, I’d love to see their stats come up on the board as well. The NRL does it. I think the NFL does it. It’s a great thing for the spectators to see as well.”
“You definitely know which umpires are going to give those 50-50 ones when it hits the pad, and that’s where from my perspective it gets frustrating.
“There’s no bias in anything. It’s just that you feel that as a player sometimes.”
However, Warner said the comments weren’t directed specifically at Wilson but added that “there has to be some accountability”.
“If you get a decision wrong, just accept it and apologise,” Warner said.
“Players aren’t going to bite your head off. Umpires aren’t going to bite your head off if you ask them the question. They’re generally pretty honest.
“You see it with the bunker in the NRL. You get absolute stinkers and some umpires don’t umpire the next game.
“I think over a period of time. You know, obviously players get dropped for poor performances. It‘s never explained to us about what goes on with the panel (of umpires) as well. So (stats are) just an indicator.
“But it‘s just little things that show the spectator it’s not easy. So you know, you can explain where it’s not easy, why it’s not easy. And then when good decisions are made, they can explain it.
“So I just think it’s something that could be explored.”
Warner said the outburst was because of “frustration”.
“Normally when something hits me on the leg on the outside, I know it’s pretty much going down leg,” he said.
“I asked Joel when I was out there just what happened like why did he give it out? He said the ball was swinging back.
“From my perspective on the replay, it wasn’t. When you see on the replay how it unfolded, you get a little bit annoyed.”
Warner also questioned the ball-tracking technology, explaining he “never had Hawk-Eye come in and explain to us how the technology actually works”.
He said an explanation may help players make better decisions when working out whether to review.
“If they could come in and explain to us how it works, then sometimes we might (choose) not to refer or to refer,” he said, expressing his frustration, concerned conditions could dictate differences in ball-tracking particularly.
“At the moment, we seem to be waiting for (ball-tracking), and as a player you get more frustrated because you think, ‘Did they line it up, what’s the impact points, how many impact points are there before it goes on’.
“In England, the ball bounces and it actually moves once it‘s bounced, not just off the seam but in the air it can move, so there’s just little things that as a player you get frustrated because there’s no explanation … but there has to be some accountability.”
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