Davison woes and DRS questions

	Hiral Patel became yet another victim to the poor use of the DRS © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Canada v New Zealand at Mumbai Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: Canada | New Zealand

Drop of the day
Kane Williamson had just made his first run of the World Cup when he faced a simple off-break, delivered wide of the crease from around the stumps by John Davison. Erroneously, Williamson spooned a simple return catch to the bowler. But Davison, on the follow-through, messed up an easy chance as he tried catching it with upright hands. The habit of doing fielding drill with the baseball mitts at times can be a deterrent as Davison proved today. It was a schoolboy error going for the unorthodox technique when he could have taken the offering with straight hands.

If-only moment
Rizwan Cheema lined himself up at wide long-on trying to deflect Ross Taylor's third six in the most expensive over in the day by Harvir Baidwan (Taylor took 28 runs hitting four sixes and one four) . Cheema rubbed his palms at the back of his trousers in anticipation as the ball was on the descent. Suddenly he realised the ball could fly over the ropes. So in a last-minute improvisation he arched back, took the catch, but unfortunately lost his balance as he skipped over the ropes. He did jerk the ball back, but his feet had already touched the ropes. Taylor was on 47, eventually making 74. Matches turn on moments like that. New Zealand were 210 for 4. The story might have had a different narrative, but then...

The DRS moment
Hiral Patel went for a wild pull against a short-pitched delivery from Jacob Oram on the off stump. At a distance it seemed it was a hit-and-a-miss shot. But Brendon McCullum, standing behind the stumps, and Oram appealed. The umpire disagreed. New Zealand asked for a review as they were confident they heard a noise. In the absence of Hot Spot or a Snickometer, the question was how could Steve Davies (the third umpire) ascertain if the noise heard was actually ball hitting bat. Davies went on to rule Patel out. One wonders how.

Catch of the day
Ross Taylor's ridiculous one-handed effort to interrupt a thick edge from Ruvindu Gunasekera, which was flying towards the third man, until the New Zealand captain decided to raise his hand.

Can-you-believe-it moment
Clearly time has come for Davison to call it a day. That is no exaggeration if you consider the way Davison ran himself out, deciding to walk back casually once he had deflected a Jacob Oram yorker, which had trickled down to the short-fine leg. Showing no urgency to finish the run Davison started ambling initially before deciding to walk the final ten yards. Reacting to the batsman's lethargy an alert Brendon McCullum lobbed a perfect throw to knock the stumps off. It was a shocking display by the tournament's oldest cricketer, who showed little respect towards the opponent and the game.