The recent fiasco involving ball tampering by a member/s of the Barbadian cricket team in the opening round of the 2004 Carib Beer match against Guyana in Barbados is cause for concern.
According to reports, the standing umpires, Billy Doctrove and Vincent Bullen, ruled that the ball had been tampered with and awarded five penalty runs to Guyana in accordance with the rules.
However, we at Sportscope are of the view that that penalty was not enough since it is likely that Guyana would have lost far more as a result of the changed surface of the ball, contributing to Guyana's defeat in that match.
The West Indies Cricket Board is awaiting the report of the match from the captains, umpires and other concerned parties before it issues a statement.
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is yet to issue a statement and may also be awaiting the match report. However, since the implications of this contrived defeat are that Guyana may not make it to the next round of the competition, the GCB should immediately remedy the situation by issuing a statem0ent expressing its concerns.
Sportscope is also recommending a harsh change in the rules, with 100 runs being awarded to the opposing team in the event the umpires feel the ball has been tampered with. Anything that is done to give an edge to one team over the other that is not within the rules is nothing but outright cheating.
Match referee Hartley Reid has been quoted, as saying that the umpires discovered that there was a change in the surface of the ball "inconsistent with normal wear and tear." The question is how much of an advantage did this give to the Barbadians? In addition, it may be asked what prompted the umpires to examine the ball? Was it after observing a player or players acting suspiciously, or did they discover the change accidentally?
The match report is crucial as an unsatisfactory probe or lack of sanctions may encourage other teams to employ this disgustingly deceitful tactic to win.
The GCB must stay on the ball and as soon as the final report is submitted make the findings public regardless of who is guilty. This may serve as a deterrent to others so inclined. What is frightening and dangerous to the reputation of the region is that if unpunished, the guilty party/ies may eventually enter the West Indies team and try to carry out the same despicable stunt at that level. The ramifications of such an act cannot be overemphasized or underestimated at this point in the development of West Indies cricket.
The umpires' stance on the matter is commendable and they should be applauded for penalizing the Bajans. The umpires' association in Guyana may also see it fit to issue a statement in support of their colleagues at this time.