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Technology fails to come to New Zealand’s aid

MUMBAI, India - New Zealand became the latest team to question the umpire decision referral system at the World Cup when Nathan McCullum was denied a caught and bowled decision against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Sri Lanka was 87-2 when McCullum dived low to his right to take a breathtaking catch from Mahela Jayawardene’s defensive push.

The umpires, and apparently Jayawardene, couldn’t decide if the ball had hit the ground first, but replays appeared to show that it hadn’t.

TV umpire Amiesh Saheba wasn’t convinced though, and Jayawardene was given the benefit of the doubt, going on to partner captain Kumar Sangakkara in a 145-run stand as Sri Lanka won by 112 runs.

McCullum was clearly angry about the decision, and captain Ross Taylor intervened as tempers threatened to boil over.

“I guess when you think you’ve taken a catch — and it was a stunning catch I thought — the emotions are going through you,” Taylor said. “All I said to him was try and get him out.

“The next couple of balls, I think he got hit for four, so that didn’t work,” Taylor joked.

Taylor said he hadn’t managed to see a replay of the catch, but that he had been told by other New Zealanders that it had carried.

The incident followed a similar one during England’s win over West Indies on Thursday. On that occasion, Jonathan Trott took a catch as he slid backwards toward the boundary rope.

The third umpire was asked to decide if Trott had touched the rope, and with replays inconclusive, batsman Andre Russell was reprieved — and awarded a six.

Taylor was asked whether he would prefer to revert to the days when decisions were left up to the honesty of the players.

“I guess it depends on the person,” Taylor said. “Look at Jacques Kallis, he asked the fielder if they caught it, and he trusts the word of the fielder.”

Facing England, South African allrounder Kallis opted against referring the decision, and asked wicketkeeper Matt Prior if he had gloved a catch cleanly before walking.

“I guess you put it up to the batsman to make the decision and at the end of the day, you just hope the technology is right,” Taylor said. “And if technology’s not right, well then don’t use it.”

The situation was reversed when Brendon McCullum was caught low by Jayawardene in the slips — and New Zealand, perhaps stung by the earlier controversy, didn’t hesitate to review the decision. To add insult to injury, the Kiwis’ appeal failed.

Sangakkara said Jayawardene had been “completely honest.”

“He said he wasn’t sure if he had caught it, that he’s going to stick around it. Mahela is someone who walks if he nicks it, and if he saw that Nathan took a clean catch, then he wouldn’t have hung around but he was very, very unsure.

“That’s the way the game’s played.”