Billy Bowden takes his time
Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Abu Dhabi
Siddarth Ravindran
18-Apr-2014
Ishant Sharma had to wait a long time before finding out whether he had dismissed Shane Watson or not • BCCI
The over
Dale Steyn was reliably menacing with the new ball, but the most searching examination of Rajasthan batsmen's technique came from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The sixth over had Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane in major trouble: it began with Bhuvneshwar squaring up Watson with consecutive away-cutters, before a leading edge took Watson to the safety of the non-striker's end. It was Rahane's turn to grapple with the movement, as Bhuvneshwar showcased his ability to move the ball both ways, getting the next one to jag in sharply before flying over the stumps. A couple of defensive strokes ended an over that showcased how bowling in Twenty20s isn't just about slower balls, yorkers or bouncers.
Dale Steyn was reliably menacing with the new ball, but the most searching examination of Rajasthan batsmen's technique came from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The sixth over had Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane in major trouble: it began with Bhuvneshwar squaring up Watson with consecutive away-cutters, before a leading edge took Watson to the safety of the non-striker's end. It was Rahane's turn to grapple with the movement, as Bhuvneshwar showcased his ability to move the ball both ways, getting the next one to jag in sharply before flying over the stumps. A couple of defensive strokes ended an over that showcased how bowling in Twenty20s isn't just about slower balls, yorkers or bouncers.
The delayed decision
Ishant Sharma was also posing problems to the batsmen, and he was rewarded with the big wicket of Watson, who nicked a ball that curled away outside off to the keeper. There was a clear edge, Ishant was elated, and after a moment of celebration, looked back to see that the umpire Billy Bowden had not lifted his finger. The wicketkeeper KL Rahul too had thrown the ball up in jubilation, before belatedly joining in a loud and lengthy shout. By the time Ishant finished his appeal, he was past the stumps at the batsman's end, before Bowden finally sent Watson on his way. Even Rudi Koertzen, Steve Bucknor and other umpires from the take-your-time school don't take as long to decide.
Ishant Sharma was also posing problems to the batsmen, and he was rewarded with the big wicket of Watson, who nicked a ball that curled away outside off to the keeper. There was a clear edge, Ishant was elated, and after a moment of celebration, looked back to see that the umpire Billy Bowden had not lifted his finger. The wicketkeeper KL Rahul too had thrown the ball up in jubilation, before belatedly joining in a loud and lengthy shout. By the time Ishant finished his appeal, he was past the stumps at the batsman's end, before Bowden finally sent Watson on his way. Even Rudi Koertzen, Steve Bucknor and other umpires from the take-your-time school don't take as long to decide.
The wake-up call
In the 12th over, Rahane charged out of the crease and looked to pull a short ball from Ishant, only to miss completely and to be slammed flush on the grille. Rahane took off his helmet to ensure there was no damage to his ear, or his helmet. Even as the physio came out to take a look, Rahane's discomfort would have increased as the DJ in the stadium egged the crowd to scream, "Sun-ri-sers, Sun-ri-sers".
In the 12th over, Rahane charged out of the crease and looked to pull a short ball from Ishant, only to miss completely and to be slammed flush on the grille. Rahane took off his helmet to ensure there was no damage to his ear, or his helmet. Even as the physio came out to take a look, Rahane's discomfort would have increased as the DJ in the stadium egged the crowd to scream, "Sun-ri-sers, Sun-ri-sers".
The drops
Dropped catches have been about as regular as the strategic timeouts in matches so far this season. The first of them was in the sixth over when a Shikhar Dhawan chip came straight back at the bowler James Faulkner, who threw up his hands to save his face. He did protect his face but couldn't grab onto the ball and ended up falling flat on the pitch, reprieving Dhawan. Faulkner later let-off David Warner as well, and fans of dropped catches got to see Aaron Finch put one down in the slips.
Dropped catches have been about as regular as the strategic timeouts in matches so far this season. The first of them was in the sixth over when a Shikhar Dhawan chip came straight back at the bowler James Faulkner, who threw up his hands to save his face. He did protect his face but couldn't grab onto the ball and ended up falling flat on the pitch, reprieving Dhawan. Faulkner later let-off David Warner as well, and fans of dropped catches got to see Aaron Finch put one down in the slips.
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo