Howlers from Steve Bucknor used to haunt Indian batsmen. His umpiring during the Test match on India’s tour of Australia in 2008 was catastrophic for the visitors. Indian cricket fans breath a huge sigh of relief when Bucknor called it quits to his international umpiring career. After a decade, it seems like Gregory Brathwaite is on that path too.
Brathwaite’s two howlers in the India vs Afghanistan match decided the fate of the match. India would have been in a comfortable position if not for the umpiring blunders.
First, it was skipper MS Dhoni. He was pacing the innings and trying to stitch a partnership with Dinesh Karthik after openers got out. Javed Ahmadi bowled an off-spinner which took a faint edge off Dhoni’s bat and hit his pads. Dhoni was visibly upset with the decision as it was an inside edge.
Not only the inside edge, the replay showed that the ball was missing the stumps. Had KL Rahul not used up the review the decision would have been reversed.
But the 48-year-old did not learn from his mistake. He committed another blunder when a full-pitched delivery from Mohammad Nabi hit Dinesh Karthik’s pad in front of the leg stump. Karthik was shocked by the decision as Nabi is an offspinner and the ball was bound to miss the leg stump.
That wicket turned out to be the turning point of the chase. Karthik was set and looking to finish off the match. The dismissal exposed India’s lower middle order which did not fair well against the spinners.
Twitterati compared him with Bucknor and asked International Cricket Council (ICC) to take an action against him.
Umpire Gregory Brathwaite is having an absolute nightmare in the #INDvAFG match….
Rubbish decisions to give both MS Dhoni & Dinesh Karthik out LBW!!!
@ICC should ban him from international umpiring. #AsiaCup2018 @BCCI please take legal actions.— Dharmik Sheth (@dharmiksheth) September 26, 2018
GREGORY BRATHWAITE REMEMBER THE NAME. https://t.co/NnrrRPeTmG
— Naveen (@ImNsamy) September 25, 2018
Ms.dhoni on Gregory brathwaite decision. #INDvAFG pic.twitter.com/XptcdkU29D
— Abhijeet Valunj (@AbhijeetValunj) September 25, 2018
Steve Bucknor is back in Gregory Brathwaite’s body #IndvsAfg #AsiaCup2018
— Rahil (@ConfuseusSay) September 25, 2018
So two howlers against IND from Gregory Brathwaite. Another Steve Bucknor in making #INDvAFG
— Vishal Vyas (@vishal_vinu) September 25, 2018
#gregorybrathwaite
world’s best cheating cricket umpire. ICC 2018 Worst umpiring in cricket won Award Gregory Brathwaite umpire match fixing.Please protect Cricket.Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/rbTfv9pTgv
— SENTHIL (@KanapathySenthi) September 26, 2018
#GregoryBrathwaite @BCCI please appeal against Gregory Brathwaite. He needs to be sacked. Street cricketers would be better umpires. @ICC #SackGregoryBrathwaite#GregoryBrathwaite worrest umpairing IndvsAfg pic.twitter.com/1OyBCuQJ6O
— Manu Mahesh Ante Pranam (@maneendrakotip1) September 26, 2018
The Game changer of the match @Gregorybrathwaite #INDvAFG @dhoni @dineshkarthik @jadeja @BCCI pic.twitter.com/zVOWs3vEPT
— Subhash (@subhashbhash) September 26, 2018
Oh boy…give it up to Gregory Brathwaite…what an amazing match he had yday. So many close calls and even when the commentators were screaming it was out or a close call….he was bang on with his decision. It was like Dhoni standing in front of the stumps #GregoryBrathwaite pic.twitter.com/80Qg8TfNJ6
— Sujith Kumar (@sujithkumar13) September 26, 2018
Please give a lens to Umpire Gregory Brathwaite. He has a problem in his eye. So, may be that's the reason, he gave lbw out to #MSDhoni. @ICC @BCCI @msdhoni @ACCMedia1 #INDvAFG #AsiaCup2018 @BCCI @ICC #AsiaCup #AsiaCup18 #IndvsAfg #IndiavAfghanistan #India #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/39ejxUvE63
— Agnimitra Ghosh (@ItsAgniSpeaking) September 25, 2018
Still a better umpire than today's match umpires..#INDvAFG #GregoryBrathwaite pic.twitter.com/hL57yat0Ou
— Piyush Chauhan (@ppiiyyuusshh007) September 25, 2018
ALSO READ: Despite Being Dead Rubber, IND vs AFG Was Still The Most Eventful Match Of Asia Cup
In the post-match presentation he said,
“There were a couple of run-outs and there are a couple of things I don’t want to talk about because I don’t want to get fined. A tie isn’t bad for is, we could have been on the losing side,”
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