“No Ball” !! ….. ACB behind Emerson’s No-Balling Decisions against Murali

Quintus de Zylva : “The plot thickens – fifteen years on – Adelaide Oval Saturday 23rd January 1999″

ROSS EMERSON has recently been quoted in the Daily Telegraph in an interview that spanned the famous no-balling of Murali by him at the Adelaide Oval. He is reported on as saying that he acted under instructions to no-ball Murali – an incident that lead to the famous partial walk-out on the 23rd of January 1999. It later surfaced that EMERSON was on “sick-leave” at the time!

 

There are some unsung heroes of this tragic disgrace ful incident that tarnished the “gentleman’s game” forever. The late Tony Greig ran down from the commentary box just in time to stop Arjuna at the boundary line which if he had crossed, Sri Lanka would have forfeited the game. On Tony’s advice, Arjuna stopped within the perimeter line and prevented any of the Sri Lankan cricketers from crossing it. This act of Tony’s went unreported at the time. Thilanga Sumathipala – the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket at the time – flew in at my request and took charge of the legal ramifications of the incident that finally saw Murali and Arjuna cleared of any misdemeanour. The only complaint that was finally made by the umpires was that Arjuna had pointed his finger at them. This too was thrown out by the inquirer when Arjuna maintained that the umpire had pointed his finger at him before he returned the compliment! And it was noted that Sri Lankans often used their fingers and hands to make a point in any discussion – a trait that is still acknowledged by even legends such as Warnie and cricket commentators the world over.

MURALI has recovered well from this trying incident with great strength of character – so much so that Cricket Australia has used him as an advisor to their young spinners.

” The important thing in life is not the victory but the contest; the essential thing is not to have won but to have fought well”. BARON PIERRE de COUBERTIN (1863-1937)

****    *****

II. Hilal Suhaib: “Ross Emerson admits to no-balling Murali due to orders from the top” … Islandcricket.com

Ross Emerson, the Australian umpire who no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing, has admitted that his decision to call the bowler was not entirely his own. Emerson told the The Daily Telegraph in Australia that he no-balled Muralitharan due to orders from an unnamed Cricket Australia official.

“I was called to a meeting with him [Cricket Australia official] and, knowing that I had called some other players, he told me I had set standards in certain areas which I should uphold in Adelaide. Yet everything blew up after I called Murali and when I saw him again he wouldn’t even look at me,” Emerson said, claiming that he had been let down after following through with the orders.

Emerson, officiating in his very first international match, no-balled Muralitharan for throwing when Sri Lanka played the West Indies in a triangular tournament in Brisbane in 1996. The rookie umpire incorrectly called Muralitharan for throwing even when the Sri Lankan spinner was bowling leg breaks.

Despite the obvious errors in judgement, Ross Emerson continued to officiate in international matches and no-balled Muralitharan again for throwing when Sri Lanka toured Australia two years later.

Prior to the tour, Muralitharan’s bowling action had already been subjected to testing at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology where scientific scrutiny proved that Muralitharan’s elbow could not straighten due to a congenital deformity. What appeared to be a throw was in fact an optical illusion.

The testing in Hong Kong and the subsequent green light by the game’s governing body in 1996 allowed Muralitharan to continue playing. Armed with orders from the top, Emerson no-balled Muralitharan again in front of nearly 10,000 spectators when Sri Lanka played England in the ninth match of the Carlton & United Series at the Adelaide Oval on January 23, 1999.

It was later revealed that Emerson was on sick leave at his regular day job whilst officiating in what was to be his last international match as an umpire.

****

III. Shenali D Waduge: “It’s taken 15 years! – Ross Emerson says he no-balled Muralitharan because he was ordered”

Ross Emerson, the Australian umpire who no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing, has admitted that his decision to call the bowler was not entirely his own. Emerson told the The Daily Telegraph in Australia that he no-balled Muralitharan due to orders from an unnamed Cricket Australia official. “I was called to a meeting with him [Cricket Australia official] and, knowing that I had called some other players, he told me I had set standards in certain areas which I should uphold in Adelaide. Yet everything blew up after I called Murali and when I saw him again he wouldn’t even look at me,” Emerson said, claiming that he had been let down after following through with the orders.

Emerson, officiating in his very first international match, no-balled Muralitharan for throwing when Sri Lanka played the West Indies in a triangular tournament in Brisbane in 1996. The rookie umpire incorrectly called Muralitharan for throwing even when the Sri Lankan spinner was bowling leg breaks.

Despite the obvious errors in judgement, Ross Emerson continued to officiate in international matches and no-balled Muralitharan again for throwing when Sri Lanka toured Australia two years later.

Prior to the tour, Muralitharan’s bowling action had already been subjected to testing at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology where scientific scrutiny proved that Muralitharan’s elbow could not straighten due to a congenital deformity. What appeared to be a throw was in fact an optical illusion.

The testing in Hong Kong and the subsequent green light by the game’s governing body in 1996 allowed Muralitharan to continue playing.

Armed with orders from the top, Emerson no-balled Muralitharan again in front of nearly 10,000 spectators when Sri Lanka played England in the ninth match of the Carlton & United Series at the Adelaide Oval on January 23, 1999.

It was later revealed that Emerson was on sick leave at his regular day job whilst officiating in what was to be his last international match as an umpire.

****

SEE  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-bajS1SZiQ

Umpire Ross Emerson calls Murali for chucking during the Sri Lanka vs West Indies World Series Game at the Gabba back in 1995/96

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okf6wnPAdEA

Australian umpire Ross Emerson called Murali for throwing at the Adelaide Oval, and got a shock of his life when Captain Ranathunga got back at him in style. At the end, Murali had the last laugh. He went on to score the winning run, and Ross Emerson never umpired again.

 

Ravindra Goonetilleke’s Tests at Hong Kong  saw these images and diagrams added to the store of unusual cricket pics

SEE Michael Roberts: “Saving Murali…” in Roberts, Incursions and Excursions in and around Sri Lankan Cricket, Colombo, Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2010, pp.