By Timothy Jaikarran
As many would categorize him back in the day Reon King showed attributes of genuine pace, accuracy and an upright action from a smooth rhythmic run up. King had all the ingredients of becoming the torch-bearer of the West Indian pace bowling attack after the retirements of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose but with injuries playing truant his playing career was shortened.
His overall career saw him bagging 76 and 53 wickets in 19 Tests and 50 ODIs respectively, while economy rate in the limited overs format of 4.16 was not to be taken lightly. King also took 293 wickets from 95 matches in his first class career and 170 wickets in his List A career which lasted more than 12 years.
After his exit from the international stage, the Guyanese speedster played more of a ‘behind the scene’ role when he began his career as a match referee. The Match Referee is the person appointed to oversee professional matches and other than witnessing the coin toss he is rarely seen since he remains off the field of play at all times during the actual match. The referee makes no decisions of any relevance to the play or result of the game; such decisions are the sole responsibility of the appointed umpires. The match referee’s responsibility is to ensure that the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct is upheld during the game, to assess any breaches of the Code, and to hand out penalties for any breaches.
In a sit down with the former fast bowler now turn match referee, King said,” Quite a lot of people think that being a match referee just involves cricket alone, but it involves more than that. It involves the whole aspect of what is happening in the stadium, all four sides of the fence which could have an effect on cricket. As the head of the Playing Control Team (PCT) you see yourself as the one who would almost have to fill the role of an umpiring coach, a counselor. There are 42 laws and sometimes in umpiring you have to apply 6 or 7 of them at once, so for me the most important thing is to understand the role these guys play and the interpretation. It is the best of both worlds as they would look to me as an ex player and I to them as they would have the knowledge of the laws and interpretations of the conditions.”
As a Match Referee King has a wealth of experience having been in the position since 2013when he started at the Regional First Class level and is about to add Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to his credentials since he will make his debut in the 2019 season.
King also serves on the International Panel of ICC Match Referees, a job that he has been doing for the past two years, making his input to the CPL vital.
“T20 cricket is a fast pace game, this brings another set of challenges. This is where you would have to be on your “P’s” and “Q’s” as something may happen on the field and it may require the umpire to interpret six conditions and make a decision. I mean it is easier now with the rise in communication, with the radio and television, nevertheless challenges are faced. At the end of the day we as a panel or a team want to get our decisions right following the correct laws and protocol.”
King has been on the International Panel of ICC Match Referees for two years already but noted that if he had to choose between cricket and being a match referee, he would play cricket as he believes that playing the game gives you an edge or upper hand. He relayed that while cricket is an emotional game and players may step out of line at times, as a former player and now Match Referee there are certain steps that can be followed, without jeopardizing the players’ career.
The 43 year old former Georgetown Cricket Club player is also involved in coaching at schools and his former club and is often seen passing on the knowledge at various venues to persons of all ages. For CPL, King has been with the Guyana Amazon Warriors local organizing committee since 2013 as the Cricket Operations Manager a role that he has perfected in assisting the team to achieve their objectives on the field.
He closing, the father of four said that because of the large network one must be au fait with all rules and regulations of the game to ensure that the game of cricket is played to its best.
