One of the stalwarts of Indian domestic cricket, Manoj Tiwary has raised serious questions over the standards of umpiring in the premier first-class tournament - Ranji Trophy.
Tiwary expressed concerns days after he called time on his playing career after leading Bengal to a comprehensive win over Bihar at the Eden Gardens in their final league-stage game of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
Earlier this month, Tiwary had made a radical suggestion that the Ranji Trophy should be scrapped from the Indian domestic calendar and was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for that comment.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Manoj Tiwary called the standard of umpiring in Indian domestic cricket as ‘poor’ and urged the BCCI to address this issue.
“Umpiring for me is the main concern. With all due respect, but the standard of umpiring is poor in domestic cricket. The BCCI should think about how they can improve umpiring. It is not about one or two seasons but I have been witnessing this for a number of years now. There are big mistakes but there are some childish mistakes as well,” Tiwary said.
“In one game, an off-spinner was making a particular noise after each delivery. Many bowlers do… it’s like they are putting some energy on the ball and it sounds like ‘uhhhhhhhh’. In this case an off-spinner was screaming ‘noooo’. At first I ignored it but later I saw the bowler was doing it consistently. I went to the umpire and complained but the umpire said he did not hear the bowler saying ‘noooo’,” he elaborated.
“In the same game, the umpire was referring no-ball decisions to the third umpire after each delivery. I asked, “Sir, why are you referring no ball calls to the umpire. He replied, ‘how can I see the popping crease of the bowler? If I watch where the bowler’s foot lands then, I will not be able to see what happens to the ball’.” At times umpires can’t hear a batsman nicking the ball, but everyone at the ground has heard it,” he further remarked.
Manoj Tiwary also alleged that he has seen umpires walking in for a match while nursing a hangover. The former Bengal skipper recommended the BCCI to conduct doping tests for umpires as well.
“If a player has to go through dope tests, it should be extended to domestic umpires. Many times I have seen umpires walking out to the middle while still nursing a hangover. The umpires have looked sleepy. How can he function properly in such a situation?” Tiwary said.
Manoj Tiwary boasts an impressive record in domestic cricket. In 147 first-class matches, the right-hander scored 10,165 runs at an average of 47.94, including 30 hundreds and 45 half-centuries. He amassed 5581 runs in 169 List A games at an average of 42.28 with six centuries and 40 fifties.
Tiwary represented India in 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is, scoring 302 runs in total with a century and half-century each.
