Cricket: Heck, there's now far too many eyes

Departing umpire Doug Cowie. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Departing international umpire Doug Cowie likes to tell a story about former New Zealand batsman John Wright when asked to discuss the influence of television technology.

New Zealand's most-senior umpire announced his retirement from the game this week after a career that spanned 20 years at first-class level, including a decade on the test and one-day international circuit, and six matches during the 1999 World Cup.

At 68, he was finding it difficult to meet the demands of the ever-changing job, and was well aware that his age was counting against him in terms of further international appointments.

Wright was the batsman who made an extremely fortunate half-century on debut against England in 1978, edging the first ball of his test career directly to wicketkeeper Bob Taylor, only to be given not out by umpire Bob Monteith.

By chance, Cowie was appointed to the new role of television umpire in Wright's farewell test in 1993, and created history with the country's first television-assisted decision midway through the fourth day.

It was Wright, of course, in his last test appearance, adjudged run out with the help of several slow-motion replays.

"All that umpires ever want to do is make correct decisions, and there's no doubt that technology has assisted us in that endeavour," he said yesterday. "But it's also created unique occupational pressure.

"The television audience are able to watch, digest the initial commentary opinion and then measure everything with the latest technology, but the poor old ump's often just left out in the cold."

Cowie said that although it wasn't the reason he decided to hang up his white coat, the technological advance had created an expectation among viewers that umpires should get their decisions 100 per cent correct, which was difficult to live up to.

And he also feared that increased dependency on television equipment would dilute the perceived independence and authority of the umpire, and ultimately lead to fewer decisions being made on the field.

"These are things that I think we have to address as a cricket community if we want to see the tradition of the umpire continuing. I'm certainly not against the use of technology, but I'm a little concerned about who's driving it."

He also said he wasn't convinced about the accuracy of hawke-eye, or even the highlighted strip that was often used to measure whether a delivery had pitched in line with the stumps.

"A lot of this stuff has been passed off as scientific evidence when in actual fact I think a lot of it is open to question."

Cowie said that, whatever the case, he had always believed the three-dimensional view from an umpire's position was superior to the perspective provided by cameras, at least in terms of making a decision.

But there was no doubting the pressure that been added to the job by the constant surveillance, and the fact that it took a thick skin and plenty of experience to avoid being adversely affected.

That was why he would watch New Zealand Cricket's latest initiative in fast-tracking umpires with interest, and would try to keep involved in management and development.

"You're treading a very fine line when you start changing the balance between youth and experience, and I'm not sure there's a genuine short-cut that would play off in the long-term," he said.

"It sounds a good idea, but you have to learn your umpiring craft properly before going on to the next level, just as you do as a player."

A decade of Doug

* Made his test debut at Napier in 1995, just in time for Sri Lanka to beat New Zealand and claim their first overseas win.

* Biggest highlight? Being invited to the 1999 World Cup and umpiring six matches.

* Most bizarre test? Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Faisalabad, 1998. The match was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of fog.

* Most controversial decision? Giving Aussie skipper Steve Waugh the benefit of the doubt in the last session of the third test against South Africa at Adelaide in 1998. Waugh had been hit on the elbow and knocked off his bails while he was flexing his arm.

* Best venue? Adelaide, by a country mile. A sense of tradition, a friendly environment, and the most picturesque setting imaginable.

* Dodgy matches? Bangladesh's win over Pakistan at the 1999 World Cup, which was later fingered by the ICC's anti-corruption unit.

* Finest bowlers witnessed? Warne, Muralitharan, Akram, Younis and Hadlee.

* Best batsmen? Lara or Tendulkar, either was a delight.

* Respected captains? Martin Crowe was a good talker, Hansie Cronje was intuitive and friendly, and Wasim Akram was always fun, but commanded great respect within his team.

* Biggest disappointment? Missing out on the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.