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Umpire faces flak for decision
Test umpire Suresh Shastri was in the news for wrong reasons on Wednesday, as a decision during the Uttar Pradesh-Orissa match came in for sharp criticism.
Test umpire Suresh Shastri was in the news for wrong reasons on Wednesday, as a decision during the Uttar Pradesh-Orissa match came in for sharp criticism.
Shastri, who became a Test umpire in 2007 and had been criticised by Sachin Tendulkar for a decision against the Mumbai Indians during the 2008 IPL, adjudged UP's Parvinder Singh leg before off Basant Mohanty in the 88th over.
The batsman tried hard to convince Shastri that the ball had first hit the bat. Having failed, he started to walk towards the pavilion before Shastri called him back. He realised his mistake after leg-umpire, Sanjay Hazare, confirmed the bat-pad.
This left the Orissa fielders fuming. "We did not expect such a mistake from an experienced umpire," said a player. "Parvinder's wicket could have put us in a much better position at the end of the day as he went on to play a crucial knock for his side today," he added.
Both Shastri and Hazare refused to comment.
Match referee, Harvinder Singh Sodhi, cited the BCCI's advisory to match officials, for staying silent.
