Bipin Dani
Former Kenyan umpire Subhash Modi has his eyes in England where the history is created at the Old Trafford ground, Manchester. The second Test between England and the West Indies, which began on Thursday saw a father-son duo (player-Stuart Broad, match referee-Chris Broad) in the match.
Modi has reason to take interest in this match because he also officiated as an umpire and his son (Hitesh Modi) was playing an international match.
“What a proud moment for the Broad family when Chris and Stuart are representing their nation in the same game”, Modi said over telephone from Nairobi.
“It brings back my own memories when I was umpiring an International game between Kenya and Bangladesh in 1994 in Nairobi at the famous Nairobi Gymkhana when I ruled my own son Hitesh Modi out LBW very early in his Innings”.
“Prior to this ODI, I had umpired two ODI Matches (Kenya vs. West Indies and Kenya Vs. Bangladesh (in this match I also gave my son out on appeal bat and pad)”.
The ICC Match Referee then, Gundappa Viswanath had conveyed his personal congratulations to both the on field umpires (other was South Africa’s Dave Orchard) for very “good decisions”.
“This is an unique cricketing record in the International arena where father and son have featured together in ODI”.
“It is human nature that when father and son are featured together in the same international tournament, normally a doubt remains in people’s minds regarding fair play” .
“Thank God I did not have any issues and I am sure Broad will also have “fair play”, if the situation arises, but hope nothing untoward happens”, Modi signed off.
