The Walk
It is an old debate and its back- Should a batsman walk if he knows he is out versus waiting for the umpire to give him out? The debate is so old and boring that it pains me to write about it. But since Tendulkar’s walk and Ponting’s wait the topic has heated up again. Here are my thoughts, and they are unlikely to change. I know a few of you out there are going to rip in to me. But I guess that is the point :-)
I don't think a batsman should walk. If I was a cricketer, I wouldn't.
Umpire decisions can go either way. Forget the review system for a moment, we have all realized that it hasn't been perfected yet. Assume there is no review. An umpire sometimes gives you out when you are not and sometimes give you not out when you are in fact gone. How often have we seen batsmen stare down the umpire or look completely shocked when they are given out? It happens. We have seen replays in slow motion that clearly show bat before pad or the ball hitting the thigh pad and making a noise and yet the batsman is given out. Sometimes the umpires make errors.
You can't do anything if the umpire gives you out (assuming no review). You have to go back to the pavilion irrespective if the umpire was right or wrong. So then why should you help the umpire make a decision? Wait in the crease, if he gives you out then walk back and if he says not out then continue to bat. In the end, it all balances out, some go your way and some don't. If you negate the ones that go your way by walking and yet are burdened with the ones that did not go your way (when you are given out when you are not out) then you are basically putting yourself in a negative situation. Let the game play out as it is meant to.
Cheaters- I always laugh when people say not walking is the same as cheating. There is no rule in cricket that says that if you are out you have to walk. And why all this noise about Ponting? Even Sachin is not a universal walker. If he was a universal walker then everyone would not be talking about it. Our reaction would be "Yeah, ok so he walked, big deal he's done this for 20 years." Instead our reaction was "He walked!!!" More than the reaction, we have all seen instances where he hasn't walked. Does that mean he is a cheater? No, it does not.
Assume 95% of cricketers don't walk. I think it is probably higher than 95% but I am being generous for the skeptics out there. So then are we saying that 95% of cricketers are cheaters? The only universal walker that I can remember in my time is Brian Lara. I guess everyone else is a cheater.
Those that still think it is cheating just remember that you are saying that for all those times that Sachin never walked he was cheating. And please don't tell me that he has always walked because then 1) you obviously haven't watched enough cricket and 2) you would not have made it a big deal
Against the spirit- Again the argument is the same. If 95% of the players are playing against the spirit of the game then there can be one of two things.
1) Either the game is so dirty that 95% of the players don't play in the spirit of the game in which case we've got bigger problems or
2) The spirit of the game has not been understood. Not walking has not been construed as against the spirit of the game, if it was then so many legends would be considered black sheep of the sport.
Honorable- I don't know why batsmen get credit for walking? Since the game was invented there have been three kinds of batsmen, those that walk, those that don't walk and those that walk sometimes. No one should be judged for whichever category they are in and in my view no one should be given credit for being in a particular category either. I don't think Lara is more honorable then any other batsmen because he walked. But I guess I feel this way because I don't believe walking is cheating.
This is a never ending debate. It is one of those topics where you have to agree to disagree if you are on opposite sides. Anyway, those are my thoughts.
Couldn't agree with you more. I would never walk either. and dude SACHIN WALKS SO RARELY its unreal. If you ask me yesterday he just got PISSED at himself and so said screw this and started heading. So many times he has stood his ground till given out.
ReplyDeleteIn fact he used to walk earlier, but if you remember there was a period where 8-9 decisions went against him so I think that pissed him off and he stopped walking.
Agree with you completely
Love your line on how the people who think it is cheating should remember that they are calling Sachin a cheater...hahaha. Top class.
Agreed. I don't think it is cheating.
ReplyDeleteThere is some honor attached to it though. But ya, overall agree with you completely.
Exactly exactly exactly. If Sachin was a unviersal walker as you put it, no one would have made such a bruhaha about him walking. RUBBISH. He gets projected by the media like he is a saint. Don't get me wrong, he is the best batsman in the world and is a god and all that stuff. But big deal if he walked.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Ponting goes if he farted in India the media would say he is polluting our country. For some reasons the Indian's hate him. So he can do no right. I think he did nothing wrong by standing his ground...
PRG sorry but completely disagree. 'play the game out as it meant to be' means if your out your out. And yes for all those who dont walk including sachin are cheaters.
ReplyDeleteWhen you know your out and continue to play your cheating. Yes its unfortunate when an umpire gives the wrong decision, but thats when you say 'play the game as its meant to be' and move on.
I think they are cheaters as well PRG. Sorry
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the comment above though I think the reader mis understood what you meant. I think what you meant by 'play the game out as it is meant to be' means that let the umpire make the decision because that is what he is there for. I think the reader above didn't get that. Correct me if I am wrong...
Having said that. I agree with the reader above. You have to walk...
If you wait for the umpires decision your in support of not walking!
ReplyDeletethe point about playing the game as it meant to be is that one has to play it honorably at this level of the game. we're not playing gullee cricket here.
and one is not giving a batsmen credit for walking as thats what he ought to do!
Love the blog PRG. Good stuff. I agree with you 100%.
ReplyDeleteAnd judging by the comments most people agree with us.
If these fools above dont know what you meant by playing it as it is meant to be then they are idiots.
To the person above- Not giving credit? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE. How many bb's and sms's and articles have been put about how honorable sachin is? What do you mean that is what you are supposed to do?
So that means, Sachin, Sourav, Dhoni, Dravid, Yuvraj, Gambhir, Raina, Pathan are all cheaters and doing things they shouldnt be doing? What nonsense...Suddenly everyone is up in arms because Sachin walked and twodays earlier Ponting didnt.
But no one will say anything when Sachin doesnt walk? Then it is ok not to walk.
Oh and one more thing. The whole argument for the people who think batsmen should walk is amazing because not one batsmen listens to them or even gives a shit about what they think. They do what they want. And the ICC doesnt give a shit about them either. Nowhere is there a rule, and no where is it discussed as part of the "spirit" of the game.
ReplyDeleteI love how all these people get on moral high grounds with regards to this though.
Also, to the person who mentioned gullee cricket- Cricket is cricket, gullee or on a professional field. If you think it is wrong in a match then it should be wrong in gullee cricket as well. But these are the same people who argue with their friends when they are dismissed in cricket or cheat in Taboo etc. etc. Bunch of bull shit...
PRG, the way I look at it is - I think that its the right of the batsman to walk or not, whenever he pleases. So totally agree with you -they defi are not cheaters in my book if they don't. If they want to be inconsistent walkers thats fine too (e.g. sachin). I'm sure he wouldnt walk in the Final if India needed 1 to win with 1 wicket in hand - and the same guys praising sachin today would kill him if he did in that situation. I am also totally with universal non-walkers like ponting, waugh, etc (edge to slip and stand till the finger goes up - its your right man...keep standing till the old fart raises his finger!!). The Karma theory is also bullshit - go read a philosophy book instead!
ReplyDeleteBut having said all that, I'm also a believer in the spirit of the game and the romantic side of it. There is jst something about Gichrist walking in that WC Semi and Walsh not running out the Number 11 Paki batsman and WI had to go home. Of course only legends who are secure about their place can afford to do that. It keeps the game interesting and whether you are a walker or not, its hard not to applaud. While, like you, I perhaps wouldn't walk, I do hope every once in a while someone does!! - AC
Could not agree with you more PG. The law of averages should even out good decisions and bad decisions and so in this instance I do think the great SRT should not have walked. This game was sort of inconsequential. I wonder what he would do if faced the same dilemma in a world cup final?
ReplyDeleteMr non walker gullee cricket or professional its wrong in both cases.
ReplyDeleteI myself do it and im a CHEAT. There is no double standards here.
So when sachin, ponting or dravid etc etc dont walk when they know the ball has snicked their bat and they are caught behind and they still stand their ground in effect they are cheating!!