Cricket: A humbling by Kumble

TWO controversial incidents overshadowed a spectacular performance by Anil Kumble, who led India to a 102-run victory over the West Indies in the final of the jubilee one-day tournament in Calcutta by taking 6 for 12 off 6.1 overs.

The problems started towards the end of India's innings of 225 for 7. With just a few of their 50 overs remaining, Keith Arthurton, who was fielding near the boundary, fell victim to the familiar missile throwing from one section of the 95,000-strong crowd packed into Eden Gardens. The West Indies batsman was struck on the head and after attention from the West Indies physio, Dennis Waight, left the field.

He was well enough to bat later but had already become one of Kapil Dev's two victims in an unchanged 10-over spell costing only 18 runs before Kumble produce the best spell of international one-day bowling by an Indian. The leg-spinner bowled four of his victims as the West Indies slumped from 57 for 1 to 123 all out in 40.1 overs, but his dismissal of Roland Holder provoked more irritation in the West Indian ranks.

Holder became the first player in an international match to be given out bowled by the third umpire, the local Sekhar Chaudhuri, who was called upon after neither of the neutral umpires, Zimbabwe's Ian Robinson and South Africa's Karl Liebenburg, who was standing at square leg, could decide whether the ball had rebounded from the wicketkeeper Vijay Yadav's pads before hitting the wicket.

Richie Richardson, the West Indies captain, was incensed by the decision, which he said should not have been made. 'The rules clearly state that you cannot be given out by the third umpire if you are bowled,' Richardson said, and he called the dismissal the 'turning point'.