Daryl Harper, the former ICC umpire, has said he still proudly stands by his infamous decision to give Sachin Tendulkar ‘shoulder-before-wicket’ off Glenn McGrath in 1999.
With India chasing 396 in the second innings, Tendulkar was dismissed for a duck after ducking under a delivery he expected to be a bouncer from McGrath. It kept low, and struck him on the shoulder, and much to the annoyance of Indian fans, Harper raised his finger.
Harper came in for a lot of flak for his decision, but he was always, and still is, steadfast in his belief he made the right call. “I look back on that ‘Tenducker’ decision every day of my life,” Harper told Asianet Newsable. “It’s not that I sleep badly or have nightmares and replays dancing through my brain. When I walk through my garage, I am confronted by a huge canvas print of Sachin and Glenn McGrath, taken momentarily after the ball made contact.
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“You may be disappointed to know that I’m still extremely proud of that decision because I considered the action before me and applied the law without fear or favour. That’s what umpires are trained and expected to do.
“Regarding the accuracy of the decision, Sachin was the Indian captain at that time and ICC officials informed me that he didn’t note that decision when he assessed my performance on the standard post-match paperwork. I recall realising that suddenly one sixth of the world’s population knew my name … and they probably didn’t speak very highly of me.”
Sachin Tendulkar, with the flick of the gods.
📹 @RandomCricketP1pic.twitter.com/T9UCxCi527
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) June 30, 2020
Harper, however, said he believed Tendulkar never had a problem with him over the decision.
“It was a very unusual dismissal. I’ve never seen anything similar and I’ve watched a lot of cricket over the years … but I still believe it was correct. I accept that viewers the world over were surprised and even shocked. I was also apparently rattled by the scenario. It was a bizarre moment.
“I went on to umpire India in 26 Tests and 44 ODIs all over the world. I can’t recall ever discussing that specific decision with the great man, but I believed Sachin and I were always on good terms. My decision followed an appeal. That’s how cricket works. Players and umpire moved on. That’s what I consider as the true spirit of cricket. That’s why I almost always enjoyed umpiring India and especially in India.”
