Mark Waugh: Time to recruit younger, fitter umpires

Mark Waugh

The standard of umpiring in this one-day series has been disgraceful ... a huge disappointment.

There have been some very ordinary decisions. The answer is not going "upstairs" more often but rather in having a look at the people who are doing the job.

The ICC and others have to do everything in their power to improve the standard. They need to look at and recruit younger, fitter guys. Pay them more and give them the right training.

Umpires are a key component in any game, so we have to make their job more appealing, more professional.

There are so many old umpires around. That is not helping. Perhaps they are away from home too much and become stale.

The people who appoint them have to make sure the umpires can hear and see properly.

I remember playing in South Africa at one time when an umpire was deaf in one ear. That kind of thing does not do any good for anyone or the game.

Both teams expect a fair contest. Perhaps there have been times here when New Zealand feel they have been hard done by.

Irrespective of that, they have been very competitive. They are a good one-day side - better than their test team - and are well respected.

New Zealand have always had blokes who can bat and bowl. They field well, run between the wickets smartly and generally play the game confidently.

In the series in Australia three years ago they beat us three out of four. I remember it well. We were surprised by the way in which Shane Bond burst on the scene. He, Chris Cairns and Dion Nash bowled well.

You only have to look at what Kyle Mills did the other night to see the value in having players who can do everything.

New Zealand are good at tying sides down. Their slow bowlers have always done a good job.

They have been well captained with guys like Martin Crowe and Stephen Fleming. To win in this form of the game you must have a captain who reads the game well, sets the right fields and ensures his team get through the overs.

New Zealand players know their strengths and weaknesses and shape their game accordingly. There are no big egos. Even in losing, they made Australia work.

Overall, I think Australia have played poorly in this series.

Cairns remains a key player, a match-winner, but the side retains a good balance.

In Daniel Vettori, New Zealand have the best spinner. No doubt.

I find it funny the way the Australians have played him. Unlike the way they took to the spinners in India, the Australian batsmen have been cautious facing him. He has bowled well, but I certainly did not expect him to be as prominent as he has been.

With Shane Warne unfortunately no longer playing this form of the game, the selectors have opted for Brad Hogg. He has done a fair job, but he is only a part-time spinner.

Stuart MacGill would be five times better. He has the most one-day wickets in Australian domestic cricket. Playing Hogg will cost them one day.

New Zealand's problem is in making inroads at the top of the Australian order. To get Alan Gilchrist out they should let him get to 50 as quickly as possible. He then tends to get over-confident.

You can't bowl to him with any width. Cairns bowled well to him by bowling around the wicket. That, as I see it, is Gilchrist's only weakness.

He does a good job at the top of the order. He is certainly one of the most popular players in the team. He is thoroughly unselfish and fits in well with the guys.

His stance on walking is a personal one. I certainly don't agree with the criticism he has copped about this. He is the fairest player around.

Good on him for walking. It is a personal choice. He is certainly not trying to ram it down anyone's throat.

On the issue of calling a batsman back, that has nothing to do with him. He is not the captain. He is not running the game. Those decisions rest elsewhere.

* Mark Waugh is a former Australian batsman.