The shock and despondency runs strong and the bitter pill of defeat has left a bad taste. Having gone through her best run in cricket, Bangladesh cricket team returned home from the Cricket World Cup 2015, with memories of what might have been.
Beyond all the recriminations, knee jerk reactions and emotional outbursts, the facts in the cold light of day are chilling but inevitably true. The result will not be overturned. It has never happened; it never will. What may happen are further changes to the way the game is supervised by the men who turn out in colours different to that of the participating sides.
Historical precedent records that two gentlemen of the fine group called umpires, have had to make ignominious exits from the greens because they 'lost it'. It could well be that at least Aleem Dar may indeed have done so.
Controversies over umpiring decisions have been the subject of post match and session discussions from the time the game started. And over the years cricketers have learnt to accept that some days they go in favour, some days they don't. Larger than life figures have occasionally bent the rules in humorous and not so funny ways over ruling the adjudicators. The great W G Grace batting in his advanced years was once bowled by a young paceman. He calmly replaced the bails and took stance again. "But sir" said the pumped up young man "you are out, clean bowled". To which the good doctor patted him on the head and responded amiably "Young man, these people have come to see me bat, not to see you bowl". The umpires did not dare intervene and another chapter was added to the game of glorious uncertainty!
And one recalls the youngest of the Chappell brothers for whom victory was more important than the spirit of the game, bowling underarm simply because it was within the then gambit of the rules.
The 'gentlemen' of the game would walk without waiting to be given out; captains would good naturedly recall batsmen given out, who, in their opinion were hard done by; fielders would sportingly acknowledge if a catch had been taken cleanly or not. But times changed. Sunil Gavaskar once ruefully recalled an incident when he walked out to bat with a brand new bat. Dicky Bird, the legendary umpire respected by all and sundry raised his finger in response to an appeal for leg before wicket early on. Gavaskar made the long walk back -- his bat displaying an evident reddish mark where the ball had hit it. No protest, in honour of the umpire.
Then in phases, big money overtook everything and values went for a six. Now rude gestures, sledging and a whole raft of unsavoury happenings are considered part of the game.
Introduction of technology and reviews on request were to have made matters easier; they have just added volumes to the controversy.
Those who continue to suggest decisions can go either way may want to recall how the International Cricket Council (ICC) were strong armed by a tour pull-out threat from India into replacing umpire Steve Bucknor for ruling on racial remarks by Harbhajan Singh. And Daryl Hair was forced to retire from the elite panel for the bizarre incident in which Pakistan were adjudged to have forfeited a test against England after he decided to change a ball that he alleged had been tampered with.
And memories may jog to recall the unforgettable twilight drama where Sri Lanka played the last overs of a lost match in near darkness in the final of the 2007 World Cup? Guess who one of the umpires in that game was? Aleem Dar. Consequence? The result stood. Dar and his fellow officials were all suspended from supervising in the following T/20 World Cup.
(The writer may be reached at mahmudrahman@gmail.com)
