Danger zone: Vijay walks in Jadeja’s footsteps

Indore, The first ball Murali Vijay faced in the second innings, he edged to the leg-side and then, seeking a single, took a couple of steps down the track, right into the danger area. He was warned by the umpire against repeating this offence.
The ‘danger area’ is a protected rectangle two feet wide in front of the stumps, five feet away from the batting crease. The bowlers and the batsmen are prohibited from running on it, but they do try to do it all the same if this can give their bowlers an advantage.
A team with good spinners, who are to operate in the third or fourth innings of the match, wants the wicket to be worn down. It’s a tactic that’s best pursued discreetly, with caution.
Yesterday, Ravindra Jadeja was warned and penalised for running on to the danger area. Umpire Bruce Oxenford first warned him but, after Jadeja’s second offence, New Zealand were awarded five penalty runs. Later, ICC fined him 50 percent of his match fee.
Vijay didn’t repeat his offence today and he’d have to be careful about it tomorrow as well. He wouldn’t wish to be fined or put on ICC’s list of offenders who could invite further punishment.
Yesterday, when Jadeja was warned, Virender Sehwag had said: “He was perhaps trying to make a patch for himself to bowl!” Today, after Vijay was similarly warned, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said: “I’m inclined to believe that it’s a tactic, and so the umpires are doing their job.”
Not done
Damaging the pitch is something the team bowling last wishes to do but the laws forbid any such thing. The comments by Sehwag and Manjrekar suggest that cricketers know what they’re doing when they’re running into the danger area.
“In countries where the wickets deteriorate like this, the umpires have to be very decisive around how to look after the middle of the wicket,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson had said yesterday in reference to Jadeja’s offence. “There are rules in place and they need to stick to those.”
Today their opener Tom Latham was asked to comment on the issue. “Guys are going to walk on the wicket,” he said. “We’ve got a big job to do in the second innings. Going to focus on that. It’s up to the umpires they make the call.”