David Warner savaged by umpire amid World Cup controversy: 'Cry baby'
Warner's fiery spray over a controversial decision has sparked backlash around the world.
A former international umpire has labelled David Warner a selfish "cry-baby" after the Australian opener suggested the stats of match officials should be displayed on big screens in a bid to hold them accountable for decisions. Ropeable at being given out LBW by umpire Joel Wilson early in Australia's Cricket World Cup run chase against Sri Lanka on Monday – a verdict upheld by third umpire Chris Brown – Warner spoke out the following day about his frustrations over alleged inconsistencies.
He believes showing an umpire's accuracy meter on the scoreboard would help keep them in check. "Players’ stats go up on the board as you walk out to bat," Warner said.
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"When they announce the umpires, I’d love to see their stats come up on the board as well. The NRL does it. I think the NFL does it. It’s a great thing for the spectators to see as well.
"You see it with the bunker in the NRL. You get absolute stinkers and some (referees) don’t (referee) the next game.
"There has to be some accountability. If you get a decision wrong, just accept it and apologise. Players aren’t going to bite your head off. Umpires aren’t going to bite your head off if you ask them the question. They’re generally pretty honest."
Iconic umpire's savage shot at 'selfish' David Warner
But Darrell Hair, who officiated in more than 200 international matches and famously no-balled Sri Lankan off-spinning great Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in 1995, slammed the veteran opener's take. Speaking to Yahoo Sport Australia, Hair asked: "Would Warner like his decision-making stats put up on the screen too?
"How many times has he used up a review out of sheer selfishness so that he can try and survive? How many times has he been successful?
"My guess is it would be a percentage far less than the well documented 96% correct decisions made in international cricket by umpires. Warner's selfishness and cry-baby attitude should hold no weight whatsoever."
Hair labelled cricket umpiring the "the hardest job in world sport" but admits the quality at international level has slipped, with the gap between the best match officials and the rest widening. He also blamed the International Cricket Council for muddying the waters over third umpire reviews.
"The monster created by the ICC review system has changed the way "correct" decisions are explained," Hair said. "There is still the issue of the same ball just clipping the top of leg stump being given out or not out and both are correct.
"In the international arena, there is no benefit of the doubt if you are given out but there is if you are given not out. I think the problem goes deeper than Warner's issues."
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