As it was a double round robin we were each allocated four matches on the field and two off it. Starting off as‘ thirders’ it became immediately obvious to me the benefit of having an on-site referee. Although I’ d performed the task before, Denavon talked me through the role meticulously with particular regard to keeping the on-field umpires up to date with over rates – good or bad.
The next day was my on-field bow at Belgrano and I was particularly looking forward to it, as one of the teams was Bermuda. It is only 11 years since they played in a World Cup, so I was expecting a high standard and I wasn’ t disappointed. Man of the match was Kamau Leverock; a former teammate of mine through his extensive experience of playing in England and Wales.
Day three was what had become the top-of-the table clash with the Cayman Islands pulling off a surprise win over Bermuda. The Caymans vice-captain Alessandro Morris bowled such a number of well-pitched googlies from my end that I was constantly in the game and obliged to raise the deadly digit on two occasions.
A feature of each day was not only the 7 – 8am team walk( seven out of seven attendances from your correspondent) but the post-match debrief chaired by Denavon. This provided fantastic insight into the performance of each of the three umpires and most of the criticism was constructive and positive. This certainly helped to ease me into my second stint as third umpire on day five, where I felt on top of my game thanks to the support provided.
Although by the time of the last match the two spots for the Americas qualifier next year had been claimed by Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, there was still a lot to play for on day six as the former looked to avenge their defeat three days earlier. At the beginning of the third over a previously substituted fielder came onto the field for the first time and I heard my colleague check the time with the third umpire( eight minutes’ absence is the cut-off point in ICC matches). I presumed that all was well until the end of the fourth over when my colleague queried the fielder’ s entry and was annoyed that he hadn’ t been told by anyone. In the next innings he noticed a fielder, who had gone off to have a strained thigh treated, running the drinks to boundary fielders, so his substitute was immediately sent packing.
The match itself came down to the wire. With Bermuda needing 17 off the last over and 11 off three balls, Steven Bremar hit two sixes into the tower blocks surrounding Belgrano Athletic Club and Bermuda pinched first place on tournament net run rate.
With Bermuda’ s attention turning to a 50-over tournament in Malaysia, the three teams then played a round robin of ODIs. These weren’ t official ICC matches but Emmerson stayed on to umpire them with me followed, with a two-day break in between, by the traditional three-day annual match between the north and the south of Argentina, which has been played 119 times. I’ ve stood in the last five of these, Emmerson in the last two, and they are always enjoyable but very competitive.
Cricket in Argentina has been going for longer than football, rugby union or tennis; sports in which the locals challenge on the world’ s biggest stages. Cricket is still a minority sport but those who play it do so with a passion and considerable talent. Tournaments like these help to showcase the sport. The crowds, especially at Belgrano, were of a good size.
From an umpiring view the biggest adjustment for me in ICC cricket is the amount of fielder traffic. Fourteen-man squads mean that three players with bibs are constantly on the move when their teammates are out in the field. Even in T20, where there’ s notionally only 90 seconds for the next batsman to be ready, there are drinks brought out at the fall of every wicket. This promotes extra awareness among the umpires and one often feels the need for eyes in the back of one’ s head. The standard of play is high and no Level 1 offences or higher were committed in the entire fortnight of cricket. Emmerson and I both umpired 12 days out of 14 and were grateful for the hospitality afforded by the ICC and Cricket Argentina throughout.
The other Americas Sub Qualifier takes place in Los Angeles later in the year along with several others around the world, with all the associates and affiliates hoping for a shot at the tournament proper in Australia.
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