Fraser Stewart, Head of Cricket at the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC), custodians of the laws of the game, and former England pacer Angus Fraser had a rather tiring experience, watching the Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, given the contest stretched across a marathon four hours and 20 minutes.
“It’s a real issue. We were there for this game. Two things really struck us. One was the pace, how slow, there were so many stoppages. I know it’s hotter here and people have to have drinks and stuff, but there were just so many people running on and off the pitch all the time. There was no urgency,” Stewart said on the sidelines of an event at the Bombay Yacht Club on Tuesday, where he discussed with Mumbai Cricket Association’s umpires how MCC administered the Laws of Cricket, the upcoming changes to the laws and the spirit of cricket. The event was organised by The Global Cricket Schools, founded by Sachin Bajaj.
Blaming the umpires and sponsors for the slow pace of the game, Stewart added: “The umpires were letting it be slow. I think it’s an umpire’s job to try to keep the game moving, but when every break is an advertising potential for the billions that are watching, you can see why.”
Former pacer Fraser, 60, who represented England in 46 Tests and 42 ODIs, claiming 177 and 47 scalps respectively, said it was exhausting. “We were worn out after around six-seven overs of the second innings. We just went back to the hotel and watched the last five overs in the hotel on the TV,” said Fraser.
