Dhoni left fuming by UDRS

India captain MS Dhoni hits out at the controversial Umpire Decision Review System.

BANGALORE: India captain MS Dhoni hit out at the controversial Umpire Decision Review System (URDS) after a key decision went against his side in their dramatic World Cup tie with England.

Left-handed opener Andrew Strauss shared a vital third-wicket partnership of 170 with Ian Bell (69). But their stand was worth just 52 when left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh thought he had Bell leg-before on review for 17, with replays showing the ball would have hit the stumps.

Bell had started to walk off but because umpire Billy Bowden’s verdict was not out, the decision was returned to him by replay official Rod Tucker and Bowden deemed Bell to be too far down the pitch, leaving Dhoni bemused.

“The adulteration of technology with human thinking meant we didn’t get Bell’s wicket,” said Dhoni. “If hawk-eye says it’s good and going to hit middle stump, I see no reason why the distance matters. It is pretty difficult for me, what I saw was the ball hitting the stumps.”

Kenyan skipper plays down rift talk

Kenyan captain Jimmy Kamande brushed aside reports of a rift between the players and their West Indian coach Eldine Baptiste, saying such issues crop up only after defeats.

Reports said there were divisions within the squad, with Cricket Kenya Chief Samir Inamdar blaming those differences for the team’s lacklustre performances. But Kamande said his team was united.

“My team is very, very solid. We all are together as one,” said Kamande ahead of
his team’s third match in Group A against Sri Lanka today. “When the team loses, people try to find a way for excuses.”

Naming Bollinger replacement delayed

Australia will not name a replacement for injured fast-bowler Doug Bollinger until the later stages of the World Cup.

Bollinger was forced out of the tournament because of an ankle injury and fellow seamer Peter Siddle was expected to be called up.

But with the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Shaun Tait all in form after two wins in two games, the Australians believe they have plenty of resources in India.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2011.