Dharmasena had been seen advising Sri Lankan spinners in Sri Lankan practice session before the start of the Test series. COURTESY
Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena has been accused of giving benefits to the Sri Lankan cricket team in the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh. He has been the on-field umpire in both Tests of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series in Kandy.
Dharmasena had been seen advising Sri Lankan spinners in Sri Lankan practice session before the start of the Test series. The big question is how he stays on the field during the home team’s practice as an umpire. Dharmasena was also giving different advice to the Sri Lankan bowlers.
In Bangladesh’s innings in the second Test, he gave the Sri Lankan bowlers an advantage against the use of new balls. Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal’s aggressive batting changed the shape of the ball a bit, so the ball needed to change.
The rule in this case is that the changed ball must be used in the same way as the ball that has to be changed due to the change in shape. Another on-field umpire, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, was also looking for an old ball (used for atleast 8 overs). But Dharmasena picked up a new ball and handed it over to Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal. The commentators were also surprised to see that.
In such special cases, if the changed ball is brighter than the previous ball, the brightness has to be reduced by rubbing with a handkerchief. But Dharmasena did not do that.
However, the controversy over Dharmasena is not new. Although he is currently regarded as one of the best umpires in the world, many often question about his ability to give decisions on the field.
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