On technology..

(Thanks Ottayan for pointing out this article).

Tim Nielson makes one good point and one lousy one..

"It means almost one-third of the (10) wickets that you need to get a team out, you can contest, which seems like a high number to me."

which makes sense (although on the back of the events at Sydney, one would dispute that). And then there is this gem

"I just hope that we don't have big stoppages and regular conjecture about umpiring decisions on the back of technology being introduced," Nielsen said.

This, from the coach of a team that basically lost a test match (Perth) because their over rate was so abysmal that their captain stood to be suspended because of it... Just how much more time does Nielson expect the referrals to add up to the day's play ( assuming that a team goes ahead and uses all its referrals on the same day).

Shouldn't he be more focussed on ensuring that his team gets its quota of overs in time, every time?

Also, a lot of conjecture about the umpiring has been because of the fact that TV audiences ( and commentators) are privy to technology that umpires are not. And because the ICC has been reluctant to bring in more technology into the game ( 2D images versus 3D action, the robustness and accuracy of Hawkeye, the reliability of Snicko). But, if all parties concerned are privy to the same tools, the second guessing should be much less.

Personally, I am more inclined to do away with all the technology for both umpire and broadcaster/viewer.Sure, you can have your 23 cameras and super slo mo's but beyond that (Hawkeye, Snicko, Hotspot etc) should be a strict no no.

And the reasoning is simple - all these tools are used strictly at the discretion of the broadcaster.. So, we have the situation when India toured South Africa that the broadcasters would not release certain angles for a run out or a stumping or a catch that were inimical to the home team's interests. .. Or Channel 9's stump mics picking up every word of what Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden said on the field during Monkey gate but not a syllable from Harbhajan.. Or the selective airing of Hotspot.. Or the infamous "Cant bowl, cant throw" jibe.

And as regards the stump microphones, either turn them on all through the game at a high volume or turn them off completely.. Especially now that the ICC is coming down hard on sledging.