Calcutta: After a disastrous show by its cricketers at the national level (none among senior, U-22, U-19 and U-16 teams could qualify for the knock-out stage of national tourneys), it is now the turn of the umpires to embarrass the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
Twenty-two local umpires have flunked the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Level I examination which was held last June. It was a disappointing performance by the local umpires — 29 of whom took the Level-I test.
Only seven have been able to clear the exam with Sabyasachi Sarkar scoring a highest of 92 per cent. The other six who have also passed are Abhijit Bhattacharya, Mukesh Sinha, Indranil Chakrabarty, Manish Saha, Atanu Sarkar and Sanjib Pandey. The last mentioned is an active club cricketer who has captained Calcutta Port Trust in CAB tournaments.
As per BCCI rules, these seven umpires will now be eligible to appear for the Level-II in 2011. (The rule says that one has to wait for two years to sit for the next exam after clearing the first one).
So what made those 22 to fare so badly? The CAB brass feels that lack of familiarity with the English language was the main reason.
“Had there been a practical examination also, they would have fared much better. Since it was only a written examination, that too in English, many found the questions more tricky and difficult,” a former BCCI umpire told The Telegraph.
It has been learnt that those who have failed this year will get another chance during the 2010 Level I exams. “The average rate of passing this year has been 50 per cent but for CAB it is less than 25 percent (24.13 percent). The BCCI feels that all those who couldn’t clear the exam this time should get another chance,” the source added.
However, those who have failed will continue to officiate in various CAB tournaments as they are registered umpires of CAB. The CAB has umpires in three categories — Grade I, II and III.
How did these umpires pass the CAB’s umpires’ test in the first place? “In CAB, we have written as well as oral tests. We are lenient, unlike the BCCI examiners who are very strict on grammar and sentence construction. Also we have an oral exam (BCCI has oral exams only from Level II) where we ask questions in English but we allow them to answer in Bengali.”
Among the various associations, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) has the maximum number of candidates who have cleared the Level I (around 90 percent). “The board has decided that once the BCCI’s Umpires Academy comes up in Nagpur, the ones who clear the Level I will undergo a rigorous training at the academy to help them prepare for the next level,” he added.
It is not that the CAB top bosses are unaware of the standard of umpiring in local matches and how the umpires wilt under pressure from influential club officials. However, they are clueless about the kind of corrective measures that can be taken.
Bowlers with suspect actions like Priyankar Mukherjee, Ritam Kundu (both senior Bengal), Amit Das (under-22) and Arijit Banerjee (under-19) have all been let off scot-free at the club level only to be reported for suspect action at the various national level meets.
“It’s not that our umpires don’t have a technical knowledge but are found wanting in their understanding of the language. We need to think seriously about what we can do in this regard,” joint secretary Biswarup Dey said.
Well, the sooner the CAB acts, the better it is for the Bengal cricket.
