Ross Emerson
Encyclopedia
Ross Alexander Emerson was an international cricket
umpire from Australia
who is best known for calling Sri Lankan
off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan
for throwing. He also played grade cricket for Petersham-Marrickville in the Sydney
grade cricket competition. He is the brother-in-law of former Australian
swing bowler Terry Alderman
.
After making his first-class umpiring debut in the 1982-83 season, Emerson was promoted to the National Umpires panel in 1993-94. He made his ODI debut in a match between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Brisbane
in January, 1996. He immediately became controversial, no-balling Muralitharan seven times, and continuing to do so even when he switched to bowling legbreaks, which are regarded as being impossible to throw. This led to Muralitharan being dropped by Sri Lanka for the rest of the tour, as he was unable to bowl without being called. Emerson continued to officiate in ODIs for the next three years, standing in nine more games, all in Australia, but it was his last game which overshadowed even the first.
Standing at square leg, Emerson once again called Muralitharan, leading to Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga
to lead his team off the field in protest and consult team management and the match referee. The match later continued, with Muralitharan confined to bowling legbreaks. Later, Emerson claimed that cricket was controlled by Asian countries. Mahela Jayawardene
went on the score a century and the Sri Lankans won in the last over.
Emerson was subsequently stood down, and then was not reappointed to officiate again. He subsequently retired from cricket, and as of November 2004, is the president of Swimming Western Australia. However, he remained defiant, saying that Muralitharan's action was "worse than ever". However, cricket commentator Peter Roebuck
labelled Emerson a "nincompoop".http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/29/1080544427036.html
As of early 2011, Emerson is working as a senior investigator in the corporate governance directorate of the Department of Health of Western Australia. He continues to remain defiant about Muralitharan's bowling.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
umpire from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
who is best known for calling Sri Lankan
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
for throwing. He also played grade cricket for Petersham-Marrickville in the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
grade cricket competition. He is the brother-in-law of former Australian
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
swing bowler Terry Alderman
Terry Alderman
Terence Michael Alderman is a former Australian cricketer.He began his first-class career in 1974 with Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981...
.
After making his first-class umpiring debut in the 1982-83 season, Emerson was promoted to the National Umpires panel in 1993-94. He made his ODI debut in a match between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in January, 1996. He immediately became controversial, no-balling Muralitharan seven times, and continuing to do so even when he switched to bowling legbreaks, which are regarded as being impossible to throw. This led to Muralitharan being dropped by Sri Lanka for the rest of the tour, as he was unable to bowl without being called. Emerson continued to officiate in ODIs for the next three years, standing in nine more games, all in Australia, but it was his last game which overshadowed even the first.
Standing at square leg, Emerson once again called Muralitharan, leading to Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga is a retired Sri Lankan cricketer and politician. He was the captain of Sri Lankan cricket team, and led them to an unbeaten title-winning campaign at the 1996 Cricket World Cup...
to lead his team off the field in protest and consult team management and the match referee. The match later continued, with Muralitharan confined to bowling legbreaks. Later, Emerson claimed that cricket was controlled by Asian countries. Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene , known as Mahela Jayawardene, is the former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team. He is a specialist batsman who has a Test average of over 50, and an ODI average in the 30s...
went on the score a century and the Sri Lankans won in the last over.
Emerson was subsequently stood down, and then was not reappointed to officiate again. He subsequently retired from cricket, and as of November 2004, is the president of Swimming Western Australia. However, he remained defiant, saying that Muralitharan's action was "worse than ever". However, cricket commentator Peter Roebuck
Peter Roebuck
Peter Michael Roebuck was an English cricketer who achieved later renown as an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator. A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s", Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset...
labelled Emerson a "nincompoop".http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/29/1080544427036.html
As of early 2011, Emerson is working as a senior investigator in the corporate governance directorate of the Department of Health of Western Australia. He continues to remain defiant about Muralitharan's bowling.