MS Dhoni 'intimidated' me during 2011 Test, ICC should have punished him: Daryl Harper

Former International Cricket Council (ICC) elite umpire Daryl Harper retired from umpiring during the West Indies vs India Test series in 2011. The Australian was not a popular figure among Indian cricket fans as he was involved in some dubious decision-making when it came to officiating in Indian matches during his umpiring days. One of his most controversial decisions came in 1999 when he gave then Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar out ‘Shoulder Before Wicket’ off the bowling of former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath. He was also involved in another controversy in 2011 when veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni was the captain of the Indian team.

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Daryl Harper recalls 'threat' by MS Dhoni in 2011

Daryl Harper recently interacted with the Asianet Newsable. During the interview, he recalled an incident from the 2011 Kingston Test between West Indies and India. In the match, Daryl Harper banned Test debutant Praveen Kumar from bowling in the remainder of the West Indies innings for “repeatedly running down the middle of the pitch into the protected area”. He recalled MS Dhoni’s suggestion to him that he should have been more lenient towards the newcomer. According to Daryl Harper, “We’ve had trouble with you before” were MS Dhoni’s exact words to him at the time.

The Adelaide-born umpire stated that the Indian captain was referring to an incident from 2000 where he imposed a similar ban on then-newcomer pacer Ashish Nehra. Daryl Harper jokingly said that maybe MS Dhoni knew the name of the umpire who had taken the action against Ashish Nehra in a Test match back in 2000.

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Apart from the Praveen Kumar incident, the 2011 Kingston Test was also marred by several umpiring errors. Even though India won the match by 63 runs, MS Dhoni made a remark against Daryl Harper in the post-match press conference by saying the match would have finished much earlier if decisions were made correctly. The Australian umpire further stated in the interview that the match would also have finished earlier if the Indian fielders had held onto their catches. He wished that he was present during the 2011 conference so that he could have set the record straight against MS Dhoni.

Daryl Harper also mentioned that the Indian skipper even tried to intimidate him, although no concrete evidence has ever originated on that front. The then 59-year-old was on course to officiate in two more matches of the 2011 series before bringing down curtains to his 13-year umpiring career. However, MS Dhoni’s comments and criticism brought about a two-week early retirement for the Australian. Daryl Harper said that while he accepts the incorrect decisions he made in the match, he believes that the ICC should have taken action against the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman for his comments.

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Image credit: AP