The Ashes 2013: 5th Test, Day 5 - Flops of the day

Bad light, poor umpiring

Michael Clarke and umpires

The saga of horrendous umpiring culminated in one of the most bizarre decisions ever taken in the series. With four overs to go and England short by 21 runs, the umpires consulted their light meters and deemed it too dark for play to continue.

They took the players off the field – but not before Clarke’s animated discussion with Aleem Dar; the Pakistan umpire pushed him away after their chat almost threatened to spiral into an altercation.

Quite understandably, Clarke had all right to ask for an early end to the game under the laws, but a better call by the officials, making an exception to the queer rules of the game, would have benefited the game overall.

As England settled for a draw, they would have been disappointed not to get a 4-0 scoreline. Let’s just hope the umpiring howlers are put behind in the return series.

Unruly crowd behaviour

Emotions run high in any Ashes series – not unlike any India-Pakistan game. But the reaction of the crowd at the Oval during the heated exchanges between Clarke and the umpires, as well as during the post-match presentation, was nothing short of unruly.

The Australian captain initially enlivened the proceedings with his declaration, and it looked to be a justified decision with Joe Root’s early dismissal. However, Pietersen’s assault put paid to his original plan, so he shifted to defensive field placings, causing outrage among the spectators. He did not want to gift the hosts a win.

The simmering outrage assumed near-volcanic proportions when Mitchell Starc ran up to the crease and did not bowl, Clarke kept asking the umpires to check their light meters while also wasting time by talking to his bowlers, and the more inebriated lot let the boos flow, so to speak.

Starc ran out Bell, but when the umpires finally called off play, the hooting and jeering began in right earnest. Both the match officials and the Aussie skipper were roundly booed during the post-match presentation, although some of it was ill-directed, especially after England had crawled to 247 at an agonizingly slow pace on the third day.

The Australian crowd will, no doubt, give it back to the England team when they travel for the return leg in November.