England A Tour: Role for referees after tense Test (15 February 1999)

15 February 1999

England A Tour: Role for referees after tense Test

By Charles Randall in Bulawayo

MATCH referees are to be brought in for the one-day series between England A and Zimbabwe A after some potentially explosive incidents during the second five-day Test, which ended at Queens on Saturday.

England completed a satisfying 193-run victory when they prised out their opponents with one session to spare on a placid pitch. The Zimbabweans' last hopes of forcing a draw probably disappeared with the controversial dismissal of Trevor Gripper, who looked as though he would refuse to walk off.

England, at least once, were guilty of 'celebrating' a dismissal before their appeal was turned down - clearly intimidation of the umpire - and on one occasion there was triumphal posturing in front of a batsman walking off.

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union and the England management have agreed on the appointment of a referee for tomorrow's one-day match in Bulawayo and for the remaining two matches in Harare this week.

England manager Phil Neale said the move was "purely educational" and meant to reflect conditions in senior international cricket. He added the referee would have no power to impose sanctions, such as fines.

Neale said: "If the umpires out on the field aren't backed by a referee, the players could stretch things too far and I think both sides were a little guilty of that in the Test Match.

"The Test was played in good spirit, but there were probably some minor incidents that, if they had been caught by a television camera on a major stage, might not have been acceptable.

"There isn't a major problem that has meant we have to put a referee in place. It's a learning process for the players on both sides, to understand what is acceptable and what isn't."

Gripper, son of Ray Gripper, a renowned Rhodesian stonewaller during their Currie Cup days, defied England's bowlers for 4.5 hours before pulling a short ball from Dean Cosker against Robert Key's knee at short leg to be caught at silly point.

When the umpire upheld England's exultant appeal, Gripper remained at the crease pointing to the ground with his bat and walked slowly off after a delay of perhaps 20 seconds.

His captain, Andy Whittall, said: "Trevor actually saw where he hit the ball and, as far as he was concerned, it went into the ground. It was slightly disappointing the other umpire wasn't consulted, and it was probably what Trevor was waiting for."

With Dirk Viljoen protecting the tail, England's frustration began to boil, but nothing could take the shine off a very impressive overall performance.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)