England coach Peter Moores has requested match referee Ranjan Madugalle to have the stump microphones turned off between deliveries. He wants players to be themselves in between deliveries and not worry too much about the broadcasts.

“There must be some things that are left on the field to be fair to the players. They should be allowed to go out there and play the game without being worried that everything they actually say is going to be broadcast. It’s something we’ve discussed as a management team and we’ve spoken to the match referee about it.” Moores was heard quoting to the media.

The ICC rule book doesn’t explicitly state that the stump mics be turned on at all times. It only specifies that the mics should be turned on when the ball is live (which is fair). So, viewers are not expected to hear the sledging remarks and other conversations that takes place between players during bowler’s walk back.

But, honestly, stump cams provide a lot of entertainment for all folks. It’s always heartening to hear McGrath tame his opponents by his very few harsh words. Indians would be inquisitive to find out what language their heroes speak in; maybe hear Sachin speak in Bengali or Dravid in Kannada. The things said in between adds to the atmosphere of the game for the viewers watching on TV. Administrators shouldn’t take away the part that brings in more and more viewers to the game of cricket.

Cricket is not a fast sport like basketball or soccer. So, when nothing takes place while the slow moving fast bowler goes back to his bowling mark, it is our viewership right to get entertained before the action takes place. The commentators provide some entertainment but not all are up to the mark. My verdict, don’t turn the stump mics off. If Peter is reading this article, don’t try to bring down the viewership to protect some players.

Long live stump microphones!!!