Former Australian Test umpire Lou Rowan passes away at 91

Former Australian Test umpire Lou Rowan passes away at 91 Lou Rowan, who officiated(कर्तव्य पूरा करना) in 25 Tests, passed away on Friday (February 3), aged 91. Rowan also stood in the inaugural One-Day International played between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in January, 1971.  Rowan, known for his no-nonsense approach, was at the centre of
simmering tensions between Australia and England in his final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) after he warned John Snow for intimidatory (आक्रामक) bowling. The England quick had hit Terry Jenner, the lower-order batsman, flush on his head with a lifter. Hence, Rowan gave the England spearhead a warning for intimidatory tactics. During the Test match, Ray Illingworth, the then England captain, also decided to walk off the field after a fan named Trevor Guy assaulted Snow. 

Rowan notified the England set-up that if they didn't return to the field, it would be considered as forfeit(ज़ब्ती) . It turned out to be a controversial Ashes series with the England think-tank feeling aggrieved (पीड़ित) by the umpiring decisions. Incidentally, not a single batsman from Australia was given out leg before wicket during the course of the seven-match Test series. 

Rowan, in his book The Umpire's Story, wrote about the controversial Sydney Test. "It is not a happy thought that, as an umpire, I might have been the spark to explode Anglo-Australian Test cricket relations to smithereens," Rowan explained. "But I have no regrets for my part in the affair; I would act no differently in similar circumstances now, whether at club or international cricket level." 

"But cricket had a close shave that day at the SCG, a mighty close one when one considers how easily events far less acrimonious than Ray Illingworth's had been built into international incidents... I had to act, as I have repeatedly done in my job as a policeman in Brisbane and elsewhere, in the interests of maintaining the peace." 

Snow, the fiery fast bowler from Sussex, hit back at Rowan, in his book Cricket Rebel, and said: "[Rowan] could not distinguish between bouncers bowled with a cricket ball and those in a dance hall." 

Unfortunately, the Sydney Test was the last time Rowan umpired in a Test match. However, he did officiate in a few games when World XI took on Australia in 1971-72 before walking into retirement.