SLC should have guts to protest against Australian umpiring, says Arjuna

By Bipin Dani

World Cup winning former national captain Arjuna Ranatunga believes Sri Lanka should have lodged a protest against the Australian umpires who didn’t call a wide on the fifth ball of the final over of Sri Lanka’s innings in the second T20I in Sydney on Sunday.   

The television commentators also admited that Marcus Stoinis’ delivery to Maheesh Theeksana was well outside the blue guideline and umpires not adjudging it a wide proved costly to Sri Lanka. 

“The SLC officials should have guts to protest against the umpires,” Ranatunga told the Daily Mirror.
Interestingly, SLC’s top officials, the President, Secretary, and CEO, are in Australia. 
Ranatunga’s hard-nosed captaincy saw his clash with Australian umpires on multiple occasions, when ace-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was no-balled while on tour to Australia. 

“In an international match and especially in T20Is, one poor decision by umpires might change the result of the match and therefore, I suggest even the match-referee should be given power to intervene in the situation. The technology should also allow third umpires to call it wide as is the case of no balls,” Ranatunga added. 
“I don’t say that the home umpires are biased but it brings extra pressure on them. If the team with extra players are allowed to travel, why can’t the umpires from other countries be sent to officiate?” Ranatunga also asked.
Sunday’s defeat put Sri Lanka 0-2 down in the series against the World Champions, meaning the visiting team must now win all three of their remaining matches to win the series. 

They were boosted by the return of star batter Kusal Mendis, who returned a negative PCR test on Monday, which should see him slot into the top order. 

In danger would be one of Dinesh Chandimal or Danushka Gunathilaka, with the latter’s failures at the top of the order particularly pronounced by scores of 1 and 0 in his first outings for the country since his international cricket ban was lifted earlier this year.  Sri Lanka will however be without fast-bowler Binura Fernando who tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday. 

Fernando missed the second T20, with Nuwan Thushara debuting in his place. 

Former Australian captain Steven Smith meanwhile has been ruled out for the rest of the series, picking up a concussion when he banged his head on the ground attempting to save a six on the boundary line on Sunday.