SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR BROAD
Written by sport on November 19th, 2008 in sport.
Broad (centre) clashed with Tiffin (right) on Monday. SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR BROAD
Stuart Broad has been given a lecture about his behaviour by the match referee after showing disappointment at an umpiring decision during England’s defeat in the second one-day international against India.
The Nottinghamshire seamer questioned the verdict of umpire Russell Tiffin to award a wide for a bouncer as England slumped to a 54-run defeat at Indore to give India a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.
ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama subsequently summoned 22-year-old Broad, whose father Chris is also a match referee, into his office to lecture him on his reaction.
Mahanama did not believe the offence deserved a fine, but it is the second time in the series he has reacted to players’ behaviour, having also lectured Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh for giving Samit Patel a send-off during the opening match in Rajkot.
“I’d have probably been fined my whole match fee if my Dad had been the ref,” said Broad.
“I got called into the match referee’s office for dissent, but it was just a talking to, nothing more than that.
“He didn’t say a lot to me, really. He said that on television I shouldn’t be showing my disappointment whichever way the decision goes.
“I explained it was a heat-of-the-moment thing and I didn’t think I had done anything particularly wrong. I have just got to smile instead of being disappointed.”
Mahanama’s stance indicates his determination to stamp down on any misbehaviour and prevent the series deteriorating in a similar way to India’s 2007 tour to England, when they became enraged at England placing jelly beans on the pitch while they were batting.
As match referee during that series and also England’s one-day series in India in 2006, Mahanama is well aware of the history between the two sides and has decided to act early to set the ground rules.
“The umpire felt it was borderline to showing dissent and with him being a young lad I thought it best to have him in for a talk and nip it in the bud,” confirmed Mahanama.
“I don’t want to see players reacting like that, they need to show respect to umpires at all times. We encourage players to work with the umpires and ask them to explain why any decisions have been given. That can overcome a lot of problems.
“In a long series like this tensions can build up so it’s important the players show respect for each other and the officials from the start.”
The summons to Mahanama’s office capped another disappointing day for Broad and England, who appeared to be making progress as a one-day side after beating South Africa 4-0 last summer but have come to a shuddering halt against an outstanding India side.
Beaten by an emphatic 158 runs in the opening match, England at least got closer in the second match but were again beaten by a stunning performance from Yuvraj Singh, who hit his second successive century and also claimed four for 28 with his part-time left-arm spin.
England have struggled to inhibit Yuvraj before, most notably during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa last year when the Indian left-hander became only the third man in history to hit six sixes in an over.
As Broad was the bowler at the time, it is fair to say he is sick of the sight of Yuvraj and his and England’s ability to limit his effectiveness could hold the key to the remainder of the series.
“He’s obviously in very good form,” said Broad. “In Indian conditions he’s known to be one of the best around, he’s got a high back-lift and doesn’t hold much back.
“On these slow wickets it’s quite hard to get it around his nose, but you’ve just got to keep him guessing and hopefully he’ll nick one.
“We’ve tried to mix it up as much as we can, but the man is in fantastic form at the moment and that can happen, but hopefully he’s coming to the end of that little patch for our sakes.”
Far from becoming shell-shocked by his experience in Durban last year, Broad has learnt quickly from the battering and has since claimed 40 wickets in his last 23 one-day internationals, including four for 55 on Monday.
It has established him as one of the leading young bowlers in international cricket and Broad admitted: “That’s helped my development massively.
“I certainly haven’t stood still. I’ve had to learn different balls and I realised how tough international cricket was and I do think it has helped me.”
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