First it was their neckties, now the jittery New Zealanders are asking the umpires to shed their dark trousers.
The unusual request was made by New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming yesterday as he battled to counter the roundhouse bowling action of Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga.
Malinga's near-hurling style caused sighting
difficulties through the test for the New Zealand batsmen, who asked umpires Steve Bucknor and Darrell Hair to remove their dark red ties on the first day.
The Sri Lankan was the difference between the sides during the drawn opening test, and promises to be a handful when the second starts at the Basin Reserve on Monday.
Having taken four first-innings wickets, he claimed his first five-wicket bag yesterday to end with impressive match figures of nine for 210 and the man-of-the-match award.
Fleming, who braved an injured hand to lead his side to safety yesterday, said it was almost impossible to see the ball when Malinga was operating in overcast conditions or late in the day.
"We asked the umpires to change the colour of their trousers because there's a period there when the ball gets lost in the dark background.
"When it's fine we don't have so much trouble, but when it's overcast and dreary the game changes."
At the start of the test the New Zealanders reckoned the ball was coming directly out of the umpires' chests, but Fleming said the dark trousers also created a difficult backdrop after the ball was released.
The problems resulted in the New Zealand skipper asking Bucknor to tie a white jersey around his waist like an apron, creating a white background for the ball.
"I'm not sure [what] the rules are, but we've asked if they can change [to light-coloured trousers]. It's a factor, hence putting the sweater in front of the trousers.
"We can't see him [Malinga].
"When it's a bit overcast and late in the evening, you saw last night when Hamish [Marshall] who's in great form, just couldn't see the ball," Fleming said. "It's such a unique action it's the first time it's ever really been looked at."
