It was November last when he walked back with his head shaking in disagreement. Today, he saw a more aggressive and physical portrayal of those feelings from within. And it’s not difficult for Kumara Sangakkara to find a common link between being a victim and the chief instigator.
It was umpire Rudi Keortzen with his dose of slow poison — raising his finger up slowly to make a wrong judgment. The affable wicketkeeper, who was given out caught behind wrongly in the second Test against Australia in Hobart after the ball had brushed his shoulders, admits that a lot has been said about the umpires in Australia this summer after increasing pressure in high-stake matches.
Sangakkara insists that he heard a noise after the ball went past Rohit Sharma and that’s why he appealed, while demanding that cricketers need to have good relations with the umpires for lesser misunderstandings. “If I hear a noise and think the batsman has knicked it, I appeal and wait for the decision. After Hobart, a lot of things had been said about umpiring in the past month.
“We, as players, have to realise that it goes both ways. No one is perfect. The players make mistakes at certain times and we don’t really help the umpires at all. The same goes for the umpires. These guys are the best in the business and if they do make mistakes then you accept and just get on with the game. As long as you have the rapport and confidence in each other, there’ll be fewer misunderstandings,” he said.
... contd.
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