VVS laxman Vaughan Hot spot controversy

NOTTINGHAM: If England are at the receiving end, can Vaseline be far behind? Late on Saturday afternoon, when India were just about effecting a strong but eye-pleasing fightback, it inevitably made its appearance.

VVS Laxman, on 27, jabbed at a swinging delivery and missed it; the bowler, James Anderson, and the slip cordon promptly went up, claiming an edge. Umpire Asad Rauf had a long look at it and shook his head. Not out.

 England were not convinced though: they sought a review. Third umpire Billy Bowden watched a few replays, enlisting the Hot Spot technology too, but just couldn't detect the edge. Laxman survived again.

 It should have been the end of it. But commentators on Sky Sports, mostly former England players, were also certain that he was out; indeed, the 'snicko' that the broadcaster was using, flashed the tremor indicating that the ball had hit the bat.

 They were obviously not going to let it go; they argued that the Hot Spot was not good enough, that it didn't catch the fainter nicks. Michael Vaughan, however, took it to another level by tweeting: "Has Vaseline on the outside edge saved the day for Laxman?"

 It brought into the open rumours about the use of this substance by batsmen to negate the Hot Spot. It apparently softens the blow, especially if it's only a faint touch, making it difficult for the Hot Spot to catch it. It anyway can only detect contact between two solid substances, like bat and ball, bat and pad etc.

 Not surprisingly, the local media went into over-drive. Almost all the newspapers, with late deadlines raked it up, alleging that something was amiss. What, of course, was being left unsaid was that they were calling Laxman a cheat, that they were questioning his integrity as a player.

 Expectedly, it created a huge furore back home. Former India players responded angrily, with Sunil Gavaskar even suggesting that Laxman should take Vaughan to court. Sanjay Manjrekar said that Vaughan was only seeking attention.

 Vaughan, realizing that he had stirred a dangerous pot this time, claimed that he was joking on Sunday. "Friends from India, I didn't accuse VVS of using Vaseline," he wrote. "Even if batsmen do, it's not cheating," he added. There is, of course, no law against applying stuff on the bat, unlike on the ball.

 On Saturday, though, England's players were absolutely sure that Laxman was out. Stuart Broad had a long chat with umpire Rauf, trying to figure out what caused the noise. Replays had already confirmed that there was no contact between pad and pad either.

 Later at the press conference, he revealed that he had cheekily felt Laxman's bat when the ball went past his bat. "There was no sign of liquid though," he said. He, however, claimed that Hot Spot was not showing the really faint edges. It is a bit of a flaw."

 Maybe, India should get this banned too. If a thin layer of Vaseline can fool it, it can't be a good tool.