Oz media calls Fletcher 'hypocrite' on DRS

Melbourne: Seething after the Australian cricket team suffered a couple of setbacks in the first Test because of India’s refusal to have the Decision Review System, the media Down Under trained its guns on the visiting team’s coach, Duncan Fletcher, who has supported the DRS in the past. Mike Hussey (0) and Ed Cowan (68) fell to controversial decisions on the opening day today leaving Australia on shaky grounds at 277 for six. India’s refusal to use DRS meant there were no referrals for these decisions and Fletcher, who had been a vocal supporter of DRS during his coaching stint with England, drew the ire of an agitated media. [caption id=“attachment_165916” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“A file picture of India coach Duncan Fletcher. Reuters”]  [/caption] “Duncan Fletcher hates hypocrites. The Indian coach must have trouble looking at himself in the mirror. For well over a decade, Fletcher has been a strong advocate for using technology to enhance umpiring decisions,” said ‘The Herald Sun’. “Now he is a mute stooge as the flat earthers who run Indian cricket refuse to embrace the umpire decision review system (DRS) for the four-Test series, beginning in Melbourne today,” it added. In his book- ‘Behind the Shades’- Fletcher has stated that he was annoyed when the ECB did not consult him when the DRS was trialled in county cricket during 2007. “The introduction of this referral system actually helped in my eventual resignation from the England job,” Fletcher had written. “I was already feeling that the ECB was showing me no support during the World Cup in 2007 but it really miffed me that nobody spoke to me about this system. It was my idea after all, and nothing had changed since I first thought of it in Western Province in 1995.” India, a staunch opposer of the system, had refused to allow th DRS’ usage despite Cricket Australia being in favour of it. The ICC rules say that the system can be used only if both the Boards consent to it. Meanwhile, debutant Australian opener Ed Cowan today rued the absence of Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) in the ongoing Test series against India and called on the ICC to make the technology uniform for all Test-playing nations. “As someone who loves his cricket and has watched a lot of cricket, I just don’t understand why it can’t be handed down by the ICC to be uniform in all the game. And that’s me speaking as an outsider and not as someone who has been in the bubble for a long time,” said Cowan after starting his career with an impressive 68 on day one of the first Test here. Cowan didn’t seem happy after his debatable dismissal at a crucial time. Australia were 214 for five when Cowan was given out caught behind off Ravichandran Ashwin. Television replays, however, showed that umpire Ian Gould may have erred. “I was disappointed to get out. It was a bit of a lazy shot. You saw the replays, you saw my reaction, you can join the dots I guess. With the DRS, I’m an interesting perspective because I’ve been a consumer of the game for so long. This is day one on the job for me.” Another decision which rubbed Australia the wrong way was the dismissal of Mike Hussey who was given caught behind off Zaheer Khan. “It’s a bit of gut-wrenching experience, doesn’t matter whether it’s first ball or you’re on 150. It was a massive movement in the game, a huge moment. We’d just had a 100-run partnership, wrestled back the momentum, almost a 50-run partnership. “We felt we were really half an hour away from really nailing them, grinding them into dust. We get through that Zaheer spell unscathed and it’s a completely different complexion to the day’s play.” PTI