Cricket: 'Cafeteria' rumpus just teacup tempest: Turner

Former New Zealand coach and batsman Glenn Turner believes it makes sense for captains to try to "organise something" in rain-affected matches.

"Don't call it collusion. Just call it getting together to try to get the best out of a match," he said.

Turner, the Otago chairman of selectors, was commenting on Thursday's controversy at Carisbrook when part-time bowlers fed runs to Northern Districts to hasten a declaration on the last day of the Shell Trophy match.

The second day of the game had been virtually lost to rain and Turner said it made sense for teams to try to prevent games drifting to tedious draws.

"To me, it's common sense. You do it with declarations, with tactics generally, to try to give yourself the best chance of winning.

"All that happened on Thursday was that it was more obvious. The degree of it, in some people's eyes, was unacceptable.

"The principle of it is carried out often. Run-feeding is ugly when it happens and no one enjoys it."

Turner described the reaction to Thursday's "cafeteria" bowling as a storm in a teacup.

"There's nothing new about it. It's just the degree of it that seemed to annoy some people. One side or other still had to play very well to win and, in the end, neither could."

Wellington and Canterbury both forfeited innings with little public comment in their rain-ruined first round Shell Trophy match to try to achieve an outright result. That game, too, was drawn.

"You didn't used to be able to forfeit an innings, so there's an attempt there to do something."

Turner, who played many years of county cricket for Worcestershire before his retirement in 1983, said he was "fairly sure, about 20 years ago they actually encouraged county captains to get together to try to formulate results.

"What are people afraid of? Each captain is representing his own side. We're talking about people trying to achieve a positive result."

Turner said Thursday's controversy had a positive effect.

"People are talking more about cricket because of the different angles and fascinations that can play a part in it."

- NZPA