Ponting's Outburst at Umpire Aleem Dar Is Perhaps Indication of State of Ashes And Australian Captaincy

by Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

      Although Ricky Ponting has been known to be a hellraiser in his time, it would hardly warrant to call him that even with the frequencies of his on field confrontations chronicled for the benefit of television viewers. His aggressive take on the on field umpires then on the second day of the fourth Test of the Ashes 2010 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is perhaps an indication of where he thinks his role as the Australian captain and the Ashes urn itself are heading.
 
      For Ponting, perhaps not overturning the decision of the on field umpire was the final straw that caused him to snap at the umpires the way he did. There is no doubt that players are entitled to feel indignation when decisions go against. But surely the Australian captain knows the Ashes is too traditional to break the cardinal rule of questioning the umpire in the fashion he did. And the indication that he was aware of it was in the fact that he did not even attempt to contest the code of conduct contempt against him with the match referee.

    The Umpire Decision Review System has been in place for the Ashes and when Ponting chose to exercise the right to the UDRS, the umpires complied and to the best of the knowledge that technology could provide, the decision was upheld. To then have the players up in arms led by none other than their captain had to be one of the ugliest incidents that the game has ever seen. And its only condolence is perhaps in the fact that people have looked upon the situation with pity rather than contempt because neither are the Australians the bullies they once used to be nor are the in the cushioned position to dictate how the game should be run on their whim. Rather it is their fall from grace which has condoned incidents such as these are evidence of a structure that is crumbling with the people unable to come to terms with. 

   Some would like to believe Ponting got off lightly for what he did. But perhaps the match referee, Ranjan Madugalle in this case, was mindful of the match situation and the Australian captain's predicament more than the Australian team's doleful situation. While there is no excuse for breaching some of the oldest, most accepted tenements of the game, it stands to argue that for every time that Ponting feels cheated, there have been instances where catches were claimed by Australia and approved by Ponting himself even when the picture appeared contrary to the truth. This is not to imply that Ponting or Australia cheat, but merely a reflection that the game is a leveller and perhaps those that have been associated with the game long enough would realize that the game is built of those uncertainties, some of which cannot be subjected to interrogation in the manner in which Ponting conducted on the field.

   On the face of things, why Ponting would pick on Kevin Pietersen's wicket would seem bizarre and why he would react in the manner he did. But perhaps it is the culmination of the duress he is under, not only to keep the Australian captaincy  but also, trying desperately to avoid the ignominy of becoming the Australian captain to lose the Ashes thrice, something that has not happened in over a century of the most traditional of cricket contests, and the fact that Australia are now virtually confirming that they are slipping after the Indians enjoyed solitary moments of success down under, South Africa's ultimate success since their return to international cricket being in beating Australia in Australia and now losing the one thing they had a two decade long hold over is perhaps too much for Ponting and for Australia.