Was Kasper Out?

Hard done by? ... Steve Harmison's delivery appears to strike Michael Kasprowicz's right hand, not attached to the bat.
It may go down as one of the greatest Test matches ever played but television replays appear to show Michael Kasprowicz was given out incorrectly.

The Australian tailender was deemed out after a Steve Harmison delivery clipped his right glove and flew into wicketkeeper Geraint Jones's waiting hands - sparking a frenzy of delight among English players and fans.

But if there is any consolation for the dispirited Australian team - and millions of their supporters - it is that freeze-frame footage seems to indicate umpire Billy Bowden should not have given the dogged Kasprowicz out.

Slow motion replays appear to reveal that the No. 11's right hand was not in contact with his bat at the precise moment the ball brushed against it.

Cricket rules state that a glove can only be considered part of the bat when contact is made "between the ball and any part of a glove worn on the striker's hand holding the bat".

Australia needed just three runs for victory - and only two for a tie - when Bowden's raised finger ended their chances.

Tailenders Shane Warne (42), Brett Lee (43) and Kasprowicz (20) had already piled on 104 runs and brought their team to within a whisker of winning Had Kasprowicz been given not out, would Australia have pulled off the most remarkable of victories?

We will never know.

Billy Bowden's decision might be reviewed by the International Cricket Council but it would not alter the outcome of the match, ICC spokesman Brendan McClements said.

"The umpire has made his decision. The fact is Kasper's out. The game's finished,"

The ball that will haunt Kasper!

Michael Kasprowicz has already played it over in his mind a thousand times, and on Sunday admitted the Steve Harmison delivery that brushed his glove to hand England the series-levelling second Test by an agonising two runs would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Kasprowicz and Brett Lee nervelessly carried Australia to within a breath of a famous victory. The ball reared up into his glove and was brilliantly caught by much-maligned wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.

"I will leave [here] with the most vivid delivery that I will replay over in my mind for the rest of my life," Kasprowicz said. "Afterwards there is maybe a sense of pride, but initially there is disappointment to get that close.

"In a lot of ways it's cruel to get that close and to just miss out in the end."
Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed pride rather than emptiness after watching his tailenders' exploits almost snatch victory.

It was the closest winning margin in Ashes history and the second-closest in Test history as the last three batsmen put on 104 before Kasprowicz fell, sparking wild celebrations among the England players, who moments earlier had seemed on the brink of a morale-sapping defeat.

"I'd rather flatten them [achieve an easy win over England]. Then at least I'd have some fingernails left," Ponting said. "It's probably the most nerve-racking end to a Test I have ever played in. It's right up there with any game I have ever played in.
"[But] I don't feel shattered at the moment. I actually feel pretty proud of the way we've played over the last couple of days. There are probably a couple of batters in there, Kasper and Brett, who feel quite shattered at the moment.

"Standing in front of guys bowling 150 kilometres an hour and combating it the way they did this morning I thought was outstanding.

"I was disappointed, when you see that one balloon off the glove and the game is taken away from you, if you like. But we can take a lot out of this game, especially after what's happened over the last two days. Hopefully that can spur us on to playing some better cricket in the third Test."

Darryl Harper on David Shepherd

Fellow umpire Daryl Harper has posted his thoughts on the recently-retired David Shepherd, including this gem:

In August 2000 at The Oval, Courtney Walsh walked out to bat for the final time in a Test match on English soil. He was greeted with a guard of honour from his opponents as he entered the ground in his customary batting position at number eleven. As I stood with Shep and applauded the champion, David recalled that Don Bradman had been given a similar send-off on the same ground, 52 years earlier in his final Test match. As I returned to my position at the bowler’s end, I passed the big West Indian whose eyes were flowing with tears of emotion. I quickly mentioned the Bradman link as Shep had recalled, adding that the Don had made a second ball duck! Courtney threw his head back and vowed to do better than that. The first ball from Domenic Cork passed outside off stump and Walsh flashed at it without getting close. The second delivery was pitched on off stump and Walsh pushed forward with his bat. The ball eluded the wood and cannoned into the front pad, somewhere near the knee roll. It wasn’t a tough decision for me…..Courtney Walsh had emulated Bradman in his final Test innings in England.

Am Back

Lasses and lads..tis been a while since ive posted anything .Hopefully will be a little more regular...A lot has happened since my last post. The natwest triangular was tied. Aus won the 3 match series and the first ashes test. England won the second. and the third test it tomorrow.