Pakistan v England: 4th ODI

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

Hmmm. And there was the plumb lbw at Faisalabad to Udal on 30 in the first innings that wasn't given. And then in the second innings Flintoff had him in front of all three only for thr umpire not to bother putting his finger up.

I feel my comment was misunderstood as I was referring to "freakish" dismissals, not to umpiring blunders or poor shots (eg leaving an Hoggard out-swinger which for some unfathomable reason, did not swing). For Inzi to get run-out in a Test is unusual; to do in the manner of these two dismissals makes it even more freakish.

In any case, I think it's unfair for any fan to moan about the umpires after losing; in particular, the gripes in this case seem unwarranted, as England seem to have had more of the rub of green as far as the mistakes are concerned - just one of those things. For instance, in the innings quoted here when Inzi was incorrectly not given out, both Salman Butt and Younis Khan were given out completely incorrectly just before that. Similar examples can be presented from other innings, even from yesterday's ODI, where one or two very obvious decisions were not given due to some genuine mistakes - on one, some commentators suggested that the edge was so obvious, Tresco should have walked (though I don't feel he should - its an umpiring mistake, not the batsman's fault).

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by Maranello

In any case, I think it's unfair for any fan to moan about the umpires after losing;

Don't worry, Maranello. I wasn't considering suggesting that the umpires had anything to do with the outcome. I was pointing out that Inzi had been fortunate in those non-dismissals. He had the good fortune that Younis Khan didn't and he made us pay in the best way possible.

I just hope that when we play you over here next summer England are better prepared mentally than they appeared in Pakistan. Hopefully they might take a very good team seriously and give them the respect they deserve, and then beat them. If the umpiring is of a high quality I am sure the players will deliver us a series to remember.

[Maranello]

Thanks for the clarification NE

Yes, I hope it is an exciting and memorable contest next summer too. As a Pakistani, my only worry is about the fragility of the batting - if Inzi does not hold it all together, things might get very tricky, as a lot of the other guys are inexperienced or technically not as sound.