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Martyn tests walking policy

Source: The Advertiser - June 29, 2005

CAPTAINS Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan will seek an agreement on contentious catches after Australian batsman Damien Martyn stood his ground overnight.

The incident came during the rained-out tri series match with England at Edgbaston, when Martyn slashed a Steve Harmison delivery to third man.

Kevin Pietersen dived forward and claimed the catch and celebrated without the slightest hesitation.

But Martyn and batting partner Andrew Symonds stood mid-pitch as England's fielders rejoiced, and it was not until umpire David Shepherd conferred with colleague Billy Bowden and raised his finger that Martyn departed, for 36.

The incident threw doubt over Australia's policy of accepting the word of fielders over contentious catches, an issue Ponting has pursued since his first series as Test captain, in Sri Lanka last year.

Martyn and Symonds were at least 70 metres away from where the catch was taken, and television replays could not prove conclusively whether Pietersen got his fingers under the ball or whether it kissed the turf.

Vaughan said later Pietersen was sure he took the catch cleanly.

"Kevin was confident he'd taken it, he said he'd taken it, so that's why the umpires gave it out," said Vaughan.

Umpires are only allowed to refer close catch decisions to the television umpire if their line of sight is obscured.

Ponting also believes the catch was fair, but said he and Vaughan had never had the chance to agree that their players take the word of fielders during this northern summer.

The two skippers are now likely to do so before the next month's three-match one-day series, and again before the first Ashes Test, which starts on July 21.

"It appeared to be a clean catch on the replay screen so I was pretty happy with that," said Ponting.

"What we try to do is take it out of the umpire and third umpire's hands.

"In Damien's defence I think what he was trying to do was get it from Kevin as to whether he thought he caught the ball.

"He certainly wasn't going to stand there and argue with the fact of the catch.

"It was accepted and he walked off the ground and that was it."

Before Australia left for England, Ponting said he was keen to form a pact with Vaughan's England side over contentious catches to ensure the limited-overs and Test series were played in the right spirit.

But Vaughan has been more evasive on the subject. When it was put to him earlier this month that there had been a contentious incident where he'd stood his ground in Adelaide in the 2002-03 series after Australia's Justin Langer claimed he had taken a fair catch at point, Vaughan replied: "Was there?"

On that occasion Vaughan was on 19 at the time, and made the most of his let-off by scoring 177.

Martyn should also be concerned with his mode of dismissal, as he departed in exactly the same way in Bristol earlier this series, when Harmison enticed him to chase a wide bouncer with an uppish slash to third man.

Pietersen also took that catch.

- ADAM COOPER