Jaundiced eye

Here's how you go about making a fool of yourself and bring into question your journalistic nous.

Case Study: Malcolm Conn of The Australian

Thesis: Poor umpiring is costing the Aussies dearly in the Ashes.

Proof: Rudi Koertzen's inconsistent interpretation of LBW's.

Koertzen's umpiring is not the reason why Australia is 0-1 down in the series.
(...)
But his decisions have been embarrassing. Three of Australia's first four wickets in the second innings at Lord's fell to bad umpiring decisions.

And Koertzen made sure that Johnson's difficult Ashes series would not get any better.

He gave Johnson out leg before wicket to a ball going over the stumps and refused to give Ian Bell out leg before wicket to a delivery which could not have been more out. Just add them to the list of howlers.

Conclusion: The Indian cricket Board (BCCI) is to blame for it because it is the richest Board in the world.

And perhaps just a fraction of the billions India makes from television rights and the player-destroying Indian Premier League could be spent on developing a few decent umpires of its own.

Until then umpires like Rudi Koertzen, once probably the best in the world, will continue on the circuit, and cricket will be poorer for it.

I am not the biggest fan of the BCCI and its shenanigans, but this is a bit too much even for me.

Flogging a horse because it isn't raining in the desert makes more practical sense than this diatribe.