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By Elmo Rodrigopulle

Umpire John Hampshire and West Indies fast bowler Colin Stuart teamed up at the Asgiriya Stadium on Wednesday to do a best selling comic script on a ridiculous rule framed by the International Cricket Conference.

Much has been written in the morning newspapers, heard of radio and seen on TV, the incident to say the least was non stop laughter.

It was high drama as the script came to be unfolded. It happened like this.

Opening paceman Merv Dillon bowled two deliveries of an over and could not complete it because he was feeling sick. Skipper Hooper called on Stuart to complete the over.

Stuart's first ball was a beamer which sailed past Jayasuriya on the off. Umpire Hampshire called no ball. One ball later Stuart bowled another beamer over the batsman's head. Called no ball again.

The first call was a warning and second saw Stuart out of the firing line for the rest of the Sri Lankan innings.

When we write this we are certainly not taking umpire John Hampshire to task. Hampshire sported England colours and if we remember right scored a century on his debut and had been coach of Zimbabwe before sporting the white coat.

Hampshire was strictly going by the rule book.

What actually happened was that Stuart did not intentionally or deliberately bowl the beamer. It was apparent to everyone that he was over sweating on his hand which made the ball slip out not being able to grip it as he would like.

Also there was no enmity existing between the bowler and the batsman for the bowler to let fly beamers at the batsman.

Had Hampshire used a bit of tact, because what was happening was unintentional, he would not have been taken to task or faulted by anyone.

Even the lords at Lord's would have appreciated had he used his discretion or common sense and allowed Stuart to settle down than punish him, by telling him that he cannot bowl for the rest of the innings.

Stuart is playing in only his sixth Test and when he was told he cannot bowl again he would have felt like being hit by one of Lennox Lewis' right hooks.

As for the rule makers the ICC it is egg on their face.

How they allowed such a ridiculous rule to go into the books without carefully studying it has boomeranged on them and no doubt they came in for a lot of ridicule.

Carl Hooper the West Indian skipper with a shrug of his shoulders said it all while it was all happening out in the middle.

The ICC has been labelled a toothless tiger. They are also known to meet to decide when to meet again and do sweet nothing for the improvement or the development of the game.

It is time that the ICC tightened their game. 

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