Today’s two dismissals by Aleem Dar reiterates why it is time we use technology in cricket. Sure some one can say that Aleem Dar is a poor umpire but some one being a poor umpire shouldn’t mean that games are affected like they are. Even the best umpires make mistakes as they are only human. The problem is larger.

Cricket is a sport where dismissals are a key element. In test cricket, there are a maximum of 40 dismissals. A batsman given out when not out or vice versa can have a huge impact on the way the game shapes up. So why should we not use technology where it can help us conclusively where decisions are concerned?

Kasporwicz was not out in Ashes 2005 if we go by the rules. However, there was no way the umpire could have judged the same with the angle he had and made the best decision he could have made given how he saw things. If we can get a decision like that right within a minute (which is practical given we can see replays on the screen instantly), why should the thid umpire not talk with the umpires officiating and immediately get the decision right?

Do such decisions waste too much time? Let teams use referrals - 3 or 5 in a game. Every time you use a referral incorrectly, you have one referral less to use in the game. Simple.

Would it undermine the authority of the umpires? Not really. We would cut the pressure from the umpires this way more than any thing. At the end of the day, we should strive to get decisions right wherever we can. It is ludicrous that the whole world can see what y decision should have been and yet we have the scenarios of x batting when he is clearly out or x sitting in the pavilion when he is clearly not out.

Another player joins the list of players injured while one has a close shave. The English test team has been facing an injury crisis which since the tour of India earlier this year which has reached a concerning state now as more players are getting injured and the phenomena does not seem to end.

The players of other teams are getting injured as well. England might have just ran ahead in the race of a global problem for the game. You want to have as much cricket as you can to make money. The television companies and cricket boards mostly share a complete agreement regarding this. The players do not. Though one school of thought says that you want to play as much as a player as your life as a professional sports person is limited, another counters that you want to play as much provided you are not doing permanent damage to your body which could shorter your career largely.

If you go down in history, international cricket was played far less. However, the county professionals did play many match days as well before the matches for county cricket was curtailed. So why are players getting injured now when we did not have such a situation in the past? The answer could lie in the level of play required for international cricket compared to international cricket. You cold have relaxed in the lesser important county matches. In international cricket, you want to make the best of the opportunity you get. Even against a minnow like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, you want to make runs or take wickets for a) every one likes his career stats improved b) the fighting for playing XIs always exists.

That the players were not able to cope with too much cricket was evident when we saw them select one of the two forms of the game. A player retires early from one form of the game to preserve his career in the other form. As a result, we do not have the best players playing in each form of the game. The direct blame can be put to the excessive cricket effecting the players and thus depriving them of a longer career and the fans of seeing the best XIs on display.

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Hmm.

Cricket is not all about the international one dayers and test cricket. There is the domestic cricket played in each country of course. Usually domestic cricket sees a sharp contrast from the crowd filled international games. However, domestic cricket has it’s own special charm. For me, there are two Eden Gardens.

One is the filled to capacity Eden during international games. The other is the empty - serene and almost heavenly Eden during domestic games. I love the jam packed Eden. But there is nothing like hearing the sound of leather hit willow and it’s consequent echo in an amost empty stadium. Add a cup of tea on a winter evening and you have the perfect cricket watching scenario for me.

Domestic cricket is under rated and very special. Two cricket fans experience the marvel in two different parts of the world.

Will Luke, Cricinfo journalist, was blown away at the sight of Lord’s. He went for the opening day of the traditional opening game of the English County season between the MCC and previous year’s champions and writes:

The lift heaved us to the top and, when the doors opened, my initial reaction was “Shit. I’m in a Big Brother house” which does a huge disservice to the centre’s architect! The design is ultra-modern and incredibly well-planned. All emphasis is on the ground, on the playing area, and the view is astonishing. The roof’s curve naturally dip down onto the glass, and so does your focus; you can’t get away from the view. It’s massive, and “there” - quite brilliant. Lots of blue everywhere too… I imagine I might prefer sitting in the stands for much of a day’s play, or perching somewhere, instead of spending the whole day in the media centre despite its’ many obvious benefits. Oh, it’s all bloody wicked.

In another part of the world, Liam Camps went to experience the final of the Carib Beer Challenge which saw the traditional rivals Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago face each other once more. When Barbados and T & t play, the stadium is not empty. Far from it! There is chatter, there is beer and there is a lot of atmosphere! Camps writes:

Surely this is as good as the sport gets. Surrounded by brilliant characters and an atmosphere unmatched by any sober setting. There they go at Best again. “Tino! Tino! What you think of the ladies here today?” As he laughs it off the hard-hitting questions continue, “Tino, where’s Fidel (Edwards)?” We all know the answer, but the fun is in the interrogation. Cricket, lovely cricket. Lara did not hit any big runs on this day, and the run rate did not leave many in awe, but West Indies cricket is still alive. It lives in the collective heart of West Indians around the region.

Ah domestic cricket!