Dear Editor,
During the CPL match between the Amazon Warriors and the Tallawahs on the 6th September 2017, Umpire Gregory Brathwaite lectured two incoming batsmen, Jonathan Foo and Rovman Powell, on ‘running on the pitch’ before either had faced a ball. This action in my opinion, was completely misguided, and sets a most dangerous precedent in terms of umpire behaviour. An incoming batsman about to face his first ball from arguably one of the best 20/20 bowlers in the world has to call on all his powers of concentration to first survive the encounter and then make runs. To be accosted by an umpire and lectured on arrival at the crease must be upsetting to batsmen to put it mildly. That both batsmen succumbed to the first ball they faced after this ‘lecture’ on the consequences of ‘possible’ future behaviour is not surprising; what is surprising is that the management of the Tallawahs were not in the Match Referees’ office screaming complaints after the first incident. I have reminded myself that this is the CPL and not quite ‘real’ cricket, and that it is comfortably staffed with ‘yes’ men in the commentary booth. However, Gregory Brathwaite is an official used in Regional tournaments, and his lapse in judgment that caused him to interject himself into the game and affect the outcome must be made clear to him lest he carry such behaviour into other tournaments and influences colleagues to follow this and other types of behaviours. The game of cricket has suffered enough from this of late, but when it begins to affect the players during the game, it must be stamped out forcefully for the good of the game.
Yours faithfully,
Robin Singh
