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Sri Lanka are no squealers when it comes to defeat. They accept defeat gracefully and hardly cause any fanfare or objection to the result. That is what we saw in the recently concluded tri-series one-day tournament in Sharjah where Pakistan emerged victorious.

But the point of view we are trying to express here is not about Sri Lankan sportsmanship nor the Pakistanis or for that matter Zimbabwe, the third team in the competition, but of the match referee who was on duty during the tournament.

There is always talk of inconsistency with umpires in applying the laws of the game all over the world, but in this insistence the match referee appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) was found to be wanting in many aspects in carrying out his duties successfully.

Former South African Test wicket-keeper/batsman Dennis Lindsay made blunders or refused to see the positive side of things to justify the reasons why he was in Sharjah.

As Sri Lanka manager Air Commodore Ajith Jayasekera revealed to us at a press conference this week, Lindsay failed to penalise Pakistan for going 12 minutes above the stipulated time to bowl their fifty overs in a league match, and did not take any action against fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar when it was clearly seen on television by thousands of viewers that he was uttering four letter words at batsman Mahela Jayawardene in the final.

Even the umpires who stood in the tournament took their time in reporting the bowling action of Akhtar when it was quite obvious from the first match he played in the tournament; there was something suspicious about his deliveries. The report to the ICC was filed by Lindsay only at the end of the tournament. At the speed at which Akhtar is bowling he could injure or kill somebody with an illegal delivery. If that happens the ICC should take the full responsibility for it is the ignorance of the people whom they have appointed to officiate who have allowed room for such an instance. Thematch referee was put in place by the ICC seven years ago, to stamp out player behaviour on the field and also to assist the umpires in carrying out their duties without undue pressure from the players. To that effect the ICC have been successful. But over the years more responsibilities have been passed on to the umpires and the match referees and in that aspect the people who officiate in those roles are making mistakes or just being ignorant, which on the long run is bound to have an adverse effect on the game and on the results achieved.

What we find from Sharjah is that as much as the umpires, the match referees are also found wanting in consistency in applying the ICC rules and regulations which they are empowered with.

India were not happy the manner in which ICC match referee Cammie Smith penalised their captain Sourav Ganguly during the recent series in Sri Lanka. There was a lot of talk of inconsistency on the part of the match referee in bringing players to book for bad behaviour and for bringing the game into disrepute. They pointed out that one man's food is another man's poison attitude adopted by Smith in handing out the suspensions to Ganguly. This was another case of inconsistent match refereeing as they cited an incident involving Australian fielder Michael Slater who disputed the third umpire's decision for a catch taken by him off Rahul Dravid during the Mumbai Test and got away without any fines.

If these inconsistencies continue, players will lose their regard for the match referees and it won't be long before the game goes out of control with players taking the upperhand as it was the case before match referees came onto the scene.

The ICC are in the process of picking an elite international panel of umpires and match referees apparently to stamp out such inconsistencies in the future. The panel is expected to function from April next year and only those from it will be assigned for all important Test and one-day tournaments. There are however two different views on this. While one section feels it is good for the game, the other sees it as a hindrance to the emergence of new umpires and match referees who will be deprived of the opportunities which they presently enjoy.

The ICC while implementing the idea of elite panels must, at the same time, find ways and means to ensure there is no stagnation in the umpiring fraternity overall. That they be given as much exposure at international level so that they are in a position to replace anyone from the elite panel whenever the need arises. The present system comprises umpires and match referees nominated by each of the nine Test-playing countries, Bangladesh, the newest Test playing nation being an exception.

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