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India in Australia 2007-08

Captains scrap catching agreement

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan in Perth

January 14, 2008

	No taking the fielding team's word: Ricky Ponting and Anil Kumble have decided to do away with their agreement on catches © Getty Images

One more hurdle towards a return to controversy-free cricket on India's tour has been cleared with the two team captains deciding to scrap the catching agreement that was agreed upon before the series. Ricky Ponting and Anil Kumble, it is learnt, have decided the on-field umpires' word will be final and they can make a choice to refer the decision to the third umpire. Before the series they decided they would take the word of the fielder in relation to low takes.

The decision comes after an ill-tempered Sydney Test, in which one of the flashpoints included Sourav Ganguly's dismissal in the second innings. Ganguly was ruled out by umpire Mark Benson after a low catch by Michael Clarke in the slips; however, replays suggested that the ball might have touched the ground as Clarke completed the catch. Instead of referring the decision to the third umpire, Benson checked with Ponting, who asserted the catch was clean.

The Australian team came under heavy criticism following the match, with many critics pointing out that both Clarke and Ponting had not walked after nicking the ball. Ponting had also appealed for a bat-pad against Mahendra Singh Dhoni; the umpire rightly ruled there was no edge, but Ponting drew flak for claiming a catch when replays showed he clearly grounded the ball.

However, the Indian team's media manager MV Sridhar said the final decision would be made by match referee Mike Procter after consulting the captains. "Even though the two captains had previously committed themselves on this understanding, the decision was taken at the consent and guidance of the match referee," he told PTI. "Now it is up to the match referee to ask the two captains their views on this issue and then a decision would be arrived after the three parties, the two captains and the match referee, reach a decision."

After the Test, Kumble had written in his newspaper column that the agreement would be reviewed. "We had decided that in the case of a disputed catch, we would take the word of the fielder concerned, if he was certain.

"But that agreement was based on the premise that come what may, whatever the situation, the fielder concerned would be completely straight on what happened. Now, there will obviously be a big question mark moving forward on that."

"I'd like to point out that someone [Michael Clarke] edged the ball to slips in the second innings of the Sydney Test, and stood there even when there was not an iota of doubt over the dismissal," Kumble wrote. "He then claimed a catch that showed more than reasonable doubt and said he was 100% certain it was clean."

Ponting had apparently put forward a suggestion for a catching agreement ahead of the Ashes in 2005, but it was turned down by Michael Vaughan, the England captain.

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo