The on-going Test series between India and England has witnessed some sublime cricket, but the only genuine grating point, apart from jelly bean-gate, has been the inconsistent umpiring. With some of the top umpires -- Simon Taufel, Steve Bucknor and Ian Howell -- in charge, one would expect better standards. Sadly, that has not been the case as events have raised questions about the degree to which technology should be used.

It all began in the first Test at Lord's, when Taufel decided to call Kevin Pietersen back in the first innings after having given him out caught behind off Zaheer Khan. Pietersen was told by his team-mates to halt while walking back to the pavilion, forcing Taufel to consult the veracity of his decision with his colleague Bucknor.

After checking replays, they decided to call Pietersen back, but whether his move to stop midway through his trudge back to the hut triggered the change of heart is a matter of debate.

The trend followed in the second Test at Trent Bridge as well. It was again Taufel who raised the dreaded finger at the most inappropriate occasion. That the leg before decision was against Sachin Tendulkar and the batsman was just nine short of his 38th hundred made it all the more glaring.

Repentant Taufel
The replay in the giant screen clearly showed that Paul Collingwood's delivery hadn’t come back enough to hit the stumps. It took almost a day for Taufel to repent for his mistake.

"I always look at the big screen after giving a decision. The minute I saw the replay of Sachin's dismissal, I knew I got it wrong. The big disappointment is that people come to watch the top players and I gave him out wrongly. That upset me," Taufel had later.

If the Australian had realised his blunder the next minute itself, perhaps he should have applied the same discretionary powers that he used while calling Pietersen back.

But Tendulkar, the supreme professional that he is, took the decision in his stride and went off the field. Probably, the Indian players in the dressing room had committed an error in not asking Tendulkar to stay back!
It was Howell's turn to give a howler in the third Test. The South African missed the big inside edge the ball had taken before rapping Sourav Ganguly's pads. The edge was clear from even 60 yards away, and only Howell could explain how he could not sight it.

Admittedly, the pressure on the on-field umpires is tremendous. They have to stand without losing concentration for almost an entire day, and that can be quite a taxing job. But with the all technological gizmos -- hawk eye, hot spot etc -- to assist them, the question is why those additional equipments cannot be used to facilitate their job further. These facilities are reduced to just worthless showpieces for television if not utilised in a more extensive way.

Another solution is perhaps that the third umpire, who now has a rather passive role, be given the power to overrule obvious erroneous decisions like the said ones. There might be cries against the downsizing of the role of on-field umpires, but in the end, such moves will only help lessen the burden on them and help them increase the accuracy of their decisions.