Magazine - Winds cause chaos in Wellington

By Editor in Cricket on 23rd Mar 2010 6:00

Wellington's notorious wind scuppered the Umpire Decision Review System on the fourth day as gusts of up to 120kph left the hi-tech cameras too unsteady to be relied upon.

The problems emerged when the Australians referred a not-out lbw against Brendon McCullum, only to be told the projected path was unavailable.

(Photo Right - The Basin Reserve on a better day)

Confusion reigned for several minutes while Ricky Ponting and Daniel Vettori conferred with the umpires and eventually the on-field decision was upheld but the Australians did not lose their review. The ball-tracking cameras at the Scoreboard End are mounted on a scaffold and were shaking in the gale, which made their projections unreliable, while the side-on Hot Spot cameras were taken down to protect them.

The match referee Javagal Srinath told both teams that reviews would be assessed on a case-by-case basis and if the technology was not adequate, the on-field decision would stand and no review would be lost. However, the problem did not arise again after the McCullum incident, partly because of the long delays due to bad light that reduced the day to 52 overs.

"The cameras that are involved in the UDRS are shaking quite a bit so they are unable to do the job," Srinath said. "These are very unfamiliar conditions, what we are facing today, so they are not able to get the pictures across to us. All of the cameras are shaking. It is a very unusual day, a very, very unusual day. We know it is not the best in terms of decision-making."

(Photo Right - Yesterday's scene)

The wind, which was described by Tim McIntosh as the strongest he had ever encountered in Wellington, made things hard for players and groundstaff as well as the match officials. Covers were blown from under the feet of falling groundsmen and equipment was hurled all over the place but Hauritz played down the impact of the gusts on his 23 overs into the wind on the fourth day.

"It wasn't too bad to be honest," Hauritz said. "It was very windy at times but you can't do much about it, it's out of our control. It made it difficult at times, I reckon it would have been just as tough running down wind, trying to get that control. The wind might have played into my hands a bit, made it a bit harder to hit but it certainly was a new challenge and it was pretty good."
Hundreds of travellers had their flights to and from Wellington cancelled on Monday as powerful gusts of up to 130kmh lashed the lower North Island and the east coast of the South Island.

The MetService forecast winds strong enough to damage trees and power lines as an active front moved across the country on Monday, but the wild weather did little damage as it passed over the South Island.

The Wellington region fared worse, with gusts averaging 120kmh bringing down phone lines and cancelling flights to and from the city.

Source & More: www.cricinfo.com

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