Like fast bowlers, umpires too hunt in pairs: Martinesz

By K.R. Nayar

Tellicherry Cricket Academy invited Sri Lanka’s international umpire Ranmore Martinesz for a zoom chat and his words threw light on various aspects of umpiring which players need to understand to be a complete cricketer

 Tellicherry Cricket Academy's 'Howzat with umpire Ranmore Martinesz'  zoom session

Many times, cricketers take umpires for granted. Most youngsters believe that learning about cricket ends with the mastering of batting, bowling, and fielding skills, and they put little effort to understand the role of an umpire though he is an important part of the game. Like all others, I too believed that there was no need to get a serious understanding of the umpire's role and that his role had nothing to do with me improving as a player, till I qualified as a state panel umpire from Kerala before moving on to journalism. 

Many are under the impression that all an umpire does is count the number of balls in an over, give decisions on whether a batsman is out or not, and ensure the game is played according to the rules of the game. As a journalist in Mumbai, I used to attend India’s renowned umpire the late A.M Mamsa’s umpiring classes to add to my knowledge of the game. One day he remarked: “All cricketers, like umpires, should know the rules of the game and also the role of an umpire. If he knows the rules and an umpire’s role, then it is equivalent to knowing another way to take a wicket and thereby even win a match.”  Mamsa then asked: “How else will a player know that if the bails happen to be down, he has to uproot the stumps to ensure a run-out decision from the umpire?

So the newly launched Tellicherry Cricket Academy, by inviting Sri Lanka’s international umpire Ranmore Martinesz for a zoom chat session on Friday with their students and coaches, showed that they are on the right path of grooming players.

Martinesz, who has umpired 46 ODI matches which includes the 2015 World Cup, 8 Test matches, and 29 T20 Internationals, regaled everyone with his views on the game. He also gave his take on how to become a good umpire. The zoom session was also attended by ICC Development Panel umpire Shiju Sam, Tellicherry Academy Head Coach Ajith Weerakkody,  coaches Kamal Bhagat, Krishna Karate, Prajakt Chauhan, CTK Usman Kutty, CTK Mashood (Director) and Sharan Pinto (Centre-in-charge).

Coaches and students attend the zoom session with Ranmore Martinesz 

Martinesz went on to throw light on how teamwork applies to umpires. “Like the saying going “fast bowlers hunt in pairs”, umpires too need to work together to ensure successful completion of the games. On-field umpires need to work together to ensure all aspects of the game are managed well,” he noted. According to him, just like a player, an umpire too should learn to focus on the present and not worry about what happened to the earlier delivery. “To focus on the next ball is most important for umpires and not think of the past delivery,” he stressed. In the event of a prior poor decision, should the umpire try to balance it out in his next decision?  Martinesz said: “An umpire should never resort to such an approach. Instead of making two wrong decisions, try to make the right decisions always.”

Fitness is another area that umpires must not neglect. It is not something meant for players alone. “Umpires need to be very fit to stand on the field for long periods of time. I follow a fitness routine supported by appropriate nutrition which has helped me as an umpire,” he said.

Responding to sledging in cricket, he had a very broad view and said: “I support healthy sledging and every cricketer needs to be mentally prepared to handle it. Players should be aware of not crossing the official line as they would then be subjected to the ICC Code of Conduct.”

What were the different ways in which a cricketer and an umpire improve themselves? “Preparation for a game should begin much before the match. It is important to be on top of oneself to have a good day at the office. Reflecting daily on one’s performance and correcting oneself for the next match is vital,” he stressed. 

As a concluding message for youngsters, he said: “Cricketers should not hesitate to take up umpiring as a career. It is a viable profession.”