Spoilt Sport. Not.

I know I am going to sound like a complete spoilt sport saying this, but regardless of what anyone thinks, facts are facts and some assumptions just can't be helped, looking at the rather GLARING facts.
My dad and I are ALMOSTconvinced that the umpires (originally Mark Benson and Asad Rauf) in this match were um... swayed from their supposed neutral positions by unknown sums of money (I'm trying to avoid the accusatory word here). Because if you look at it, the umpiring decisions in this match have been nothing sort of atrocious and SURPRISE SURPRISE (or not?), all the bad decisions have only gone India's way. I'm not talking about one or two. There must have been 6-10.

In the first innings, when India was bowling, Mark Benson gave some of the most OBVIOUSLY out LBWs as not out. About 3 of them? Only the MOST OBVIOUS and the MOST CANNOT-BE-GIVEN-NOT-OUT-WITHOUT-SUSPICIONS-ARISING lbws were given out. It was utterly frustrating. The commentators kept saying, "Oh Mark Benson has made another shockingly bad decision!"

Then when India started batting, DRAVID (sob) was given out by LBW when even I could see WITHOUT replay that the ball was bouncing far too high. Shocker of a decision. And a heartbreaker as well. With our most reliable player gone, it didn't take too much to bundle India out.

In the middle of all this, somehow, Mark Benson (who was making most of the bad decisions) got palpitations and was sent to the hospital. A replacement umpire was sent in. I thought I had seen the last of the obviously rubbishy decisions.

Ok then it comes to the second innings. India bowls. Not TOO many bad decisions to make here, because most of the appeals really weren't out.

Then India BATS. Jammy ONCE AGAIN gets a RUBBISHY decision. His bat hits his pad but SA appeals for a caught behind and ASAD RAUF now starts making the atrocious decisions! He gives it out! ?!?!?!
Sachin's wicket too was dubious. Lbw appeal for a ball bouncing rather high. Given out. Hawk eye shows that it only JUST clipped the top of the bails. May well have missed them. Asad Rauf has done it again. AND THEN. AND THEN INDIA IS HANGING ON BY THE SKIN OF THEIR TEETH WITH THE FINAL WICKET holding on somehow, praying for bad light. Indian fans world over are chewing their nails off. Sreesanth gets a bouncer, he drops his bat and pulls out of the shot at the last moment. The balls passes the bat and goes off his shoulder instead, into the keeper's gloves. Everyone appeals. Asad Rauf, as an umpire, is TRAINED to notice the tiniest of details about the way the ball bounces/turns/etc. but supposedly DOESN'T notice the OBVIOUS fact that Sreesanth pulled the bat out of the line of the ball. He gives it out. WOW. That is a trained umpire INDEED.

Sreesanth looked like he could have killed. So did I for that matter. At a time when bad light could have JUST helped India snatch a quiet draw from under the Proteas' noses, these decisions were crucial. Either the umpires didn't realise that, or they only realised it TOO WELL- for the wrong reasons. Funnily enough, hardly any (if any at all) bad decisions went against SA. Only heaven knows what the truth of the matter really is. Although I can't help but say that there seems to be more than meets the eye to this match.

And if you've been following the match, you won't doubt my (rather flamboyant, I agree) declarations.

I promise I won't say anything more about my assumptions unless something is proven. :P
Although you will probably hear me whining about the unprofessional umpiring in this match for eons to come, especially if SA wins the series. *TOUCHWOOD*