Manicaland report: Umpire Kevan Barbour awards penalty runs

With Bangladesh playing their opening ODIs in Harare last weekend, Manicaland's first-class season went into winter recess. One ex-Manica player was still on view, national umpire Kevan Barbour who officiated in the first game at Harare Sports Club.

Kevan reportedly had a good game, although the Bangladeshis might have opinions on whether Andy Flower nicked a catch early in his innings. The older brother of Rhodesian Currie Cup opening batsman of the seventies, Brian, he is one of the few leading players in this part of the world to take up the white coat on retirement.

As with most other things in Zimbabwe cricket, umpire advancement can be meteoric for those with ability. Kevan has only been in it for two or three seasons and he's about to stand in his second and third Tests. The average English umpire, where only a handful of non-county pros ever get selected, would drool at the possibilities in Zimbabwe. This is not to suggest the local authorities would let a monkey loose in the middle, but with so few active umpires it's a wonderful theatre of opportunity.

It's getting less and less a place for the faint-hearted, however. Player behaviour and attitudes towards umpires are deteriorating worldwide. We used to think local players were better behaved, but there has been a trickle down of umpire contempt at all levels, imported by the national players and augmented by the excesses seen on television and unpunished at Test matches around the world.

I was chatting to a few of the Zimbabwean players during the Logan Cup game in Mutare ten days ago. The across-the-board belief amongst international players these days is that when touring, home umpires will shoot you on any marginal decisions. The Zimbabweans toured Australia with the West Indians over Christmas and the West Indians were convinced the home umpires had 'done them' a dozen times during the series. And of course the Zimbabweans also felt hard done by on a number of occasions. Unless the umpire is vindicated by a replay he is automatically viewed as incompetent or cheating.

These attitudes haven't always existed and in my view a large portion of the blame lies with the lawmakers. Little cognisance is taken of a hugely changed society and how badly cricket's antiquated laws equip today's umpires. Cricket can learn a lot from rugby where dissent is instantly penalized and further dissent brings expulsion from the field. An article by W. F. Deeds in the Weekly Telegraph a little while back comparing the rules of golf to cricket was one of the most sensible I've read. Any form of cheating or disreputable behaviour in golf brings expulsion from the game. What game of cricket is without these elements nowadays?

With this in mind it was good to see Kevan Barbour award Manicaland five penalty runs last weekend when Mashonaland's Andy Blignaut left the field of play without permission. As has become all too familiar these days, he strolled off to the pavilion after a bowling spell, took a ten-minute break whilst a substitute covered for him, then strolled back. The penalty brought hoots of derision and ungentlemanly comments from senior members of the Mashonaland team, something that would have had any half-decent rugby referee reaching into his pocket.