International cricket match referee, Dev Govindjee visits Ireland

DUBLIN – update

Friday 5 June 2015

MY VISIT TO DUBLIN FOR THE ICC INTERCONTINENTAL CUP MATCH BETWEEN IRELAND & THE U.A.E. WAS ONCE AGAIN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.

ARRIVED IN DUBLIN VIA JHB & LONDON LAST SATURDAY to REALLY FOUL WEATHER WHICH HARDLY CHANGED AT ALL- HAD A FEW FREE DAYS DURING WHICH TIME I DID SOME VENUE INSPECTIONS AND ALSO POPPED INTO THE CITY CENTRE WHICH I HAVE VISITED A FEW TIMES BEFORE BUT WANTED TO SHOW THE UMPIRE FROM INDIA WHO WAS ON HIS FIRST TRIP TO IRELAND.

THE MATCH GOT UNDER WAY UNDER GLOOMY SKIES ON TUESDAY WITH THE PROSPECT OF IT BEING WASHED OUT A VERY STRONG ONE- BUT THEN AGAIN, THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE WEATHER HERE PROVED ITSELF ONCE AGAIN WITH SKIES CLEARING, RAIN STOPPING AND PLAY GETTING UNDER WAY – PLAYED LATER THAN THE SCHEDULED CLOSE- LIGHT IS NEVER A PROBLEM AS SUNSET HERE AT THIS TIME CAN EASILY BE AROUND 10 PM!

THE HOTEL ON THIS TRIP WAS VERY CONVENIENTLY SITUATED- THE HILTON AIRPORT DUBLIN HOTEL IS ABOUT 15 MINS FROM THE AIRPORT AND PROBABLY THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE MALAHIDE CRICKET CLUB WHERE THE MATCH WAS SCHEDULED TO BE PLAYED.

OVER THE PAST 4 DAYS THE PLAYING CONTROL TEAM WENT OUT EACH EVENING TO EXPERIENCE THE CUISINE ON OFFER IN THE VICINITY AS WELL AS IN MALAHIDE WHICH IS ONE OF THE UPMARKET AREAS OF DUBLIN.

ACROSS FROM THE HOTEL IS A TESCO – THIS OPENS 24 HRS A DAY SO THAT TOO PROVED CONVENIENT FOR THE ODD PURCHASE.

DURING THE PAST FEW EVENINGS WE HAD MEALS AT THE NOBLE HOUSE NEAR TO THE HOTEL- THIS WAS A SPECIALIST THAI RESTAURANT. I ALSO VISITED A LOVELY COFFEE SHOP CALLED INSOMNIA WHICH FORMS PART OF THE EUROSPAR FRANCHISE- DELIGHTFUL THE WAY THEY MADE LIGHT MEALS ON ORDER- ONE COULD CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF FILLINGS AND HAVE A WRAP OR A BAGUETTE MADE UP AND TOASTED.

THE HOTEL ITSELF BOASTS A LOVELY RESTAURANT CALLED BURNELL- I AM ACTUALLY SITTING IN THAT RESTAURANT AS I TYPE- ATTRACTS MANY BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO COME AND CHAT OVER LUNCH IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR STREAM OF TOURISTS.

THAT REMINDS ME- WHILE WATCHING THE MATCH AT MALAHIDE CRICKET CLUB, I WAS AMAZED AT THE NUMBER OF PLANES COMING IN TO LAND AT THE NEARBY AIRPORT- IT SEEMED ALMOST LIKE EVERY TWO MINUTES A PLANE WOULD HOVER ACROSS AND LAND AT THE AIRPORT- I GOOGLED THE CURIOSITY AND WAS AMAZED THAT OVER 450 FLIGHTS COME INTO THE CITY EACH DAY- SUCH IS THE POPULARITY OF DUBLIN & IRELAND AND SUCH IS OUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN UNDERSTANDING THESE THINGS. WE LIVE SUCH SECLUDED LIVES AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW BUSY OR POPULAR CITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE COMPARED TO OUR OWN ONES.

ANYWAY, LAST NIGHT WE WENT OUT TO MALAHIDE FOR SUPPER- THE INDIAN UMPIRE WAS THRILLED AS WE FINALLY GOT TO AN INDIAN RESTAURANT- MALAHIDE HAS SOME GREAT PLACES INCLUDING THE STUNNING GRAND HOTEL- SO OUR MEAL WAS AT THE JAIPUR WHICH SERVED SOME GREAT FOOD – MY THALI WAS VERY GOOD - CONSISTED OF FOUR TYPES OF VEG CURRIES WITH A NAAN BREAD AS WELL.

THE FOUR DAY MATCH COULD HAVE ENDED YESTERDAY- IRELAND NEEDED ONE MORE WICKET BUT THE UAE HELD OUT- SO WE WENT BACK THIS MORNING- ONLY START PLAY EACH DAY AT 11 AS THE DAY IS LONG AND SUNSETS CAN BE ANYWHERE AROUND 10 PM ! IT TOOK ONLY 4 BALLS THIS MORNING AND IT WAS ALL OVER- GOT THE FORMALITIES DONE AND HAD LUNCH THERE BEFORE GETTING BACK HERE TO THE HOTEL.
THE TWO LOCAL UMPIRES DROVE OFF AS THEY LIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF IRELAND- ONE IN BELFAST WHICH IS ACTUALLY NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE OTHER IN ANOTHER TOWN.

THE INDIAN UMPIRE SHALL JOIN ME FOR SUPPER AT 7 – WE PLAN TO GO BACK TO THE NOBLE HOUSE THAI RESTAURANT NEAR HERE – HE FLIES OUT VIA DUBAI IN THE MORNING AND I FLY OUT FROM DUBLIN AIRPORT AT 2.30 TO LONDON AND THEN TO JOHANNESBURG AND SHALL BE BACK IN PE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

DUBLIN IS SUCH A WONDERFUL CITY AND THE WEATHER WITH ALL THE RAIN THEY GET TENDS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LUSHNESS OF THE SURROUNDS – THE EMERALD ISLE TAG BEFITS THE COUNTRY AND JUST GETTING INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE IS ALWAYS SUCH A PLEASURE FOR ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES NATURE AND THE BEAUTY THAT COMES WITH IT.

NOW IT WILL BE BACK HOME FOR ONLY 10 DAYS BEFORE MY NEXT BIG ASSIGNMENT- THE TRIP TO BE A PART OF A MAJOR SPORTING EVENT- THE CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE (CPL) EXCITES ME EVEN THOUGH IT DOES MEAN ANOTHER LONG TREK OF FLIGHTS VIA JOBURG THROUGH TO THE WEST INDIES AND ALSO AWARE THAT IT WILL BE 5-6 WEEKS AWAY FROM HOME!
I FLY OUT ON THE 17TH JUNE.

ENJOY THE READ AND ONCE AGAIN THE HOPE IS THAT THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF INDICATION AS TO RECEIVING THIS – MY NEXT UPDATE SHALL BE FROM BARBADOS WHICH WILL BE MY FIRST PLACE FOR A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE I MOVE ONTO ST KITTS AND END UP IN TRINIDAD WHERE THE CPL 2015 COMES TO A CONCLUSION- MY DEPARTURE OUT OF THE WEST INDIES IS SCHEDULED FOR 29 JULY.

ALL THE BEST AND AS USUAL

LOTS OF LOVE

I AM ALWAYS JUST

Dev

Dev travels to Zimbabwe

International cricket match referee, Devdas Govindjee shares his travel experience to Zimbabwe with all the blog readers. Dev was recently in the African country for 4 one day international cricket matches between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. I was joking with Dev, that he has in fact become a travel correspondent for this blog.I am so blessed to be acquainted with such a wonderful human being who loves to impart and share his knowledge and experiences with the rest of the world. Read on to find out more in his words.

Bulawayo Zimbabwe Wed 23.07.2014

Greetings on another beautiful morning in Southern Africa – it amazes me that I have been in this city for over a week already and that I only have two more days here before the flight back to PE via Johannesburg.
I had trouble getting my previous update through so this time I am not taking any chances so have opted to send this as an attachment in the hope that it shall be read with the same enthusiasm as all previous mails sent out.
Let’s dispense with the cricket part of the trip so far- after all that is the main purpose of my being here in Zimbabwe.
The 1st of 4 One Day Internationals (ODI”s) took place last Thursday with the 2nd one on Sat and yesterday the 3rd was played – all at the historic Queens Sports Club.
Zimbabwe had comfortable wins in the first two match but Afghanistan came back with a vengeance yesterday to record a pulsating win chasing down the required 267 with the 2nd last ball of the match which was hit for a 6 with only one more batsman left to bat.
It was a significant win as one has to bear in mind Zimbabwe has Test playing status whilst Afghanistan are part of what is referred to as an Associate playing nation. Both teams will play in the World Cup in Feb next year which is jointly being hosted by Australia & NZ.
Afghanistan do have ODI status in World Cricket so these matches are fully fledged Internationals.
With the series now still wide open and Afghanistan with an opportunity to level matters, the final ODI tomorrow takes on new significance.
Trust you have survived all of that!
The trip to Zimbabwe has been totally different than my normal cricketing trips- I did mention that I have close family here as well as friends – this has resulted in a flood of invitations to join families for meals or snacks etc – in between all of that and during the free days ( as matches were played on alternate days) Johan Cloete ( my friend and umpire from SA) and I have frequented every coffee shop and most of the restaurants in this city- the close proximity of most places to our hotel makes this possible and where necessary the designated transport has always been there for our convenience- they have however hardly been called into duty because of all the trips we have made with the family members.
Today we are using our transport (with the appointed liaison and security officer) and leave at 9 this morning for Matopos – this is about 30 km away and has much significance for any South African who has an interest in History like I do- it is the final resting place for Cecil John Rhodes who we all know played a significant role in
Southern Africa- his Cape to Cairo vision was a colonial expansionist dream an in the process he not only made contributions in road and rail links but left a lasting legacy in the field of education where even today the now Rhodes-Mandela scholarship is a prestigious one which only the very best of students receive.
Looking forward to visiting Matopos as the rock formations in the region have been well documented over the ages.
Naturally I am excited by the photo opportunities the trip to Matopos shall present and shall use my fb pages to display.
On Monday Johan and I played a round of golf at the Bulawayo Golf Club- the Zim Cricket Union kindly planned this for us- I have not played in a long time so it was a timely reminder that I should get back onto the golf course- not so much for the playing but more for the wonderful opportunity it affords the casual golfer of just walking along the fairways and taking in such healthy fresh air in open countryside. The body did of course take a bit of a beating and required much rest to regain normal functions!
Bulawayo is just so quiet and devoid of traffic and congestion and everything else thjat we normally associate with major African cities – this made the daily presence of our two BMW police cars and the manner in which they blared their sirens and blocked off poor startled pedestrians and the slow driving local commuters was so amusing- but protocol had to be observed and three minutes later we would in any case reach our destination either way!
Until my next update from PE – or it might be from Zambia – I remain
As always

Just Dev

Bond Nyaota & Gary Nyumbu (ZCU) were on hand to meet Johan Cloete and myself at the newly revamped airport in Bulawayo upon our arrival yesterday at noon.— in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.


      Nesbitt castle - charming and enchanting

Unusual street lamps seem to be curtsying to the impressive bronze statue of "Father Zimbabwe" Joshua Nkomo in downtown Bulawayo. — in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.


Well Cecil John Rhodes did have a vision of the CtoC - the Cape to Cairo route - at this point it shows the distance to Cairo - this was spotted on our way to the hotel. — in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

My nephew Dash Vaghmaria played for Matabeleland and Zim B - great to see this pic in the clubhouse at Queens with two legends of the game Wasim Akram & Waqar Younis of Pakistan — in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Sikandar Raza receiving the Man of the Match award at the post match presentations. — at Bulawayo Golf Club.

International Cricket Match Referee- Devdas Govindjee

Devdas Govindjee is a South African born match referee for Cricket South Africa,the International Cricket Council as well as the Indian premier league.The bright and bubbly Devdas with a dynamic personality and a flare for fashion was also awarded the Sports personality of the year from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University..Read more to find out about a day in the life of a match referee with a man who has traveled across the globe pursuing his passion and interacting with cricketers, sports personalities and of course the who's who of the Bollywood movie industry.

Nationality:Devdas Govindjee . proudly South African of Indian origin- born and raised (as was my late father) in the city of Port Elizabeth South Africa where I still reside.

Education background: Hold a B.A. (Hons) degree in History and as well as a Teaching Diploma. Studied at the then University College of Durban ( Now the Univ of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN) and also at the University of Port Elizabeth (now the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University NMMU).

Drink that you would order at a coffee shop: If I went into a coffee shop – and I do that often- depending on the time of day it would either be a cup of Earl Grey Tea with Hot milk or a Cappuccino.

Pet peeve:My pet peeve would be racism of any form and intolerance.

1. Firstly, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed despite your very hectic lifestyle.So tell me who is Devdas Govindjee? Tell me a little bit about your background. Where were you born? Basically a brief synopsis of your life from a child up until university.
I was born into a very loving home in the city of Port Elizabeth. I attended the Weiss Memorial Primary School and then the South End High School. Our home cum little shop was in the centre of the city. My parents had 5 children but the first born, my elder brother passed away at the age of 7 – I have 3 loving sisters who are all married with two living in Cape town and one in P.E. (Port Elizabeth). We were born into a home that loved sport so my earliest recollections are of playing all sport in the streets of our area. I was a sports fanatic who ran around collecting autographs of any sportsman no matter what sporting code- crazy as it might sound but I have books with signatures of cyclists, rugby players, athletes, cricketers, tennis players etc I was the one who would eat drink and sleep sport!

2. How did you become involved with the cricketing world?
Interesting question- my first love was tennis and I was winning titles from a very early age and went on to obtain provincial colours in tennis as well as in cricket and table tennis- also played serious first league soccer. Naturally my father was not impressed as he feltI should have concentrated on tennis and played at the highest level- however being a black (that’s how I see myself) south African we had no incentives as there was no money in any sporting code for us playing in a racially divided society in racially divided leagues. So when a season came along i was out there playing- happiest when just playing sport. Sport was my life. At University we formed a very powerful Unicol Tennis tram that dominated the Natal tennis leagues for those few years. Also represented Southern Natal at the 1970 SA Inter provincial tournament in Durban.

Once I reached the pinnacle of my tennis career I opted to go the cricket route and played for Eastern Province from 1968 until 1984. Continued to play league cricket even well after that. I stayed with the game and got involved at different levels of administration as well as obtaining a Level 3 Coaching Qualification from Cricket SA- went on the serve as National Selector and Convenor of Selectors at the SA Universities week- served there for 10 years. At the same time i was coaching part time and managing teams of the University of PE. In 2000 I was appointed to be the liaison officer for the touring New Zealand Cricket team and spent 3 months with them around SA. In the same year I was appointed by Supersport onto their Cricket Commentary team and even commentated during the 2003 World Cup in Sa.

3. What is the difference between a match referee and a cricket umpire?
There is a clear distinction. Umpires are those officiating either on the field of play or as 3rd or 4th umpires. Match referees in most cases have never umpired! They are in charge of everything that happens at the stadium or at the gorunds- appointed by the controlling body like Cricket SA or the ICC to represent them and to report to them on everything that goes on during the match. It is a demanding position and one of great responsibility even though to the man in the street it seems like I merely “get paid to watch cricket!” The only time a Match Referee is virtually seen on the field of play is at the toss with the two captains- thereafter he sits in his own area looking out onto the stadium- the 3rd umpire sits next to him watching a TV monitor for decisions that are referred. In essence the Match Referee forms the link between the umpires, the team, the host country and the ICC.

4. How long have you been a match referee?

I was appointed in the 2005-2006 season on the Cricket SA panel and in 2009 onto the regional panel of the ICC Match Referees.

5. What made you want to be a match referee?
Having done so much at different levels of cricket I wanted to reach for new challenges and commentating was not offering that- the area of Match Refereeing was not known to me so it was with much trepidation that I actually applied- turned out to be the best decision i had made in a long while.

6. What character traits do the best match referees have?
A good match referee needs to be a people’s person and one who can create a synergy between the various role players- there are the captains, the coaches, the managers, the home union officials and then the umpires – it should never be a “Us versus Them” situation as we are all there for the betterment of the game of cricket. Naturally you will need to know the game as well as the laws and the various codes of conduct that will come up from time to time for your attention.

7. What would you say are the positives and the negatives of the job?
If you love and are passionate about the game then there are only plusses! Travelling and long periods away from home always a challenge but with the support of the wife and family this is manageable.

8. What are some of the difficulties you face in your job?
Sport is a high powered business and with that are the pressures of franchises and franchise owner looking for results – this filters through and one has to deal with captains and coaches in different circumstances as well as with players- sometimes not in the best of moods etc but dealing with all of that in a respectful way poses the greatest challenge.

9. In your experience, is it a different experience being a match referee for a test match compared to a one day international match?
I have never done a Test Match but the longer format poses it’s own challenges. The shorter the format the more frenetic the pace the quicker things happen that requires your attention- in the longer version this is less likely to happen but your challenge then is to remain focused on each ball that is bowled throughout what could be a long day.

10.What role does the match referee play in ensuring that the game is played in the right spirit?
That is one of the top items on my Agenda prepared for the pre-match or pre-series meetings held with captains, coaches and managers. Upholding the spirit of the game is very important to me as the game of cricket like all sport should avoid negative incidents that impact on the game and also influences millions of youngsters all over the world playing or following the game. Play hard but play fair and in the right spirit will always be a priority to me.

11.What do you think about the technology that is used in the game? Video replay, Hawk-eye, stump cam etc. Do you think it undermines the role of an umpire? Is the referral system a positive tool for the game?
This is a very good question. I have worked with most of the leading umpires in world cricket- at the end of the day we all agree that what we want is to reduce the number of errors in decision making during the game. This is being achieved progressively as the technology improves and umpires no longer feel intimidated or shown up- those at home see how difficult it is to judge certain calls and they also appreciate a correct decision at the end of the day.

12. Through my own personal observation, I have noticed that you do have quite a flare for fashion. Do you wear branded clothing only?
For one who does not drink nor smoke and is a vegetarian there has to be some other passion- mine just happens to be for good clothing. Well, firstly I am loyal to our clothing and shoe sponsors at various levels. Then I am not too concerned about a particular label – I will wear or buy what I think will be suitable and appropriate and which will hopefully be comfortable and give me a sense of feeling good.

13. How do you balance your personal life and your career?
As a retired academic I am fortunate to have the most amazing support from an understanding and loving wife Urmila and my sons Avinash and Vikash who are equally passionate about sport so I take much pride in my career and the success I make of it. When I am home I devote much time to the family and this compensates to a large extent for the time spent away from them.

14. Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? What are your thoughts on religion and faith?
Yes I am spiritual and my late father was a respected Pundit. However I was raised lovingly and it was always emphasized never to become fanatical about anything as this leads to intolerance- those wise teaching remain with me and i am grateful for that.

15. What are your thoughts on polygamous relationships?
To each his own I say and who am I to criticise? If it works for those who practice it then so be it- not sure about the bank balance needed though!

16. What was the most memorable cricket match that you refereed and why?
I treat all matches with the equal respect and attention it deserves and naturally some turn out to be more challenging – most of the time I am too busy to actually sit back and enjoy the games! However who can ever forget 80 000 fans crammed in to Eden Gardens in Kolkata – the 70th and final match of IPL4 in 2011 which would decide who goes through to the play offs- and the two “Gods” of India Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians) and Shah Rukh Khan (Kolkata Knight Riders) present. Momentous and wonderful and electric – and i have the memories of that imprinted in my mind forever.

17. What is your opinion about interfaith marriages?
Love means different things to different people at different stages of one’s life. In most cases too much emphasis is placed on the physical whereas love should be more companionship for life! If your life partner to be is of a different faith then get together and make a life of it. The two will naturally need to each make compromises and to then make it work. It has worked and will work in the future. And of course if it does not work then the reasons should never be a generalisation but personal.

18. If you were not a cricket match referee what would you be doing?
Having served my time in the field of Education I would probably be out somewhere with my camera looking for some or other interesting thing to share – I would not mind getting back to lecturing as it was a most rewarding time of my life as well

19. What topics and subjects are you the most passionate about?
I believe in being well rounded – so discussions should never be limiting or limited – I enjoy chatting about Sport ( naturally) but will just generally chat and contribute where i am able to on most topics ranging from the music of the 60’s onwards to the books that are worth reading.

20. If someone could grant you one wish and you could choose to have any skill or talent in the world, what would it be?
I believe all of this is pre-destined so lets leave it at that- am quite content with what God has in his wisdom bestowed upon me.

21. What are your favourite websites?
Not too much browsing around- I update my social Network regularly as family and friends enjoy (so they say) getting my updates and more especially the pics that I post. I google when the need arises.

22. What are the best character traits for someone aspiring to be a match referee?
Be passionate and at all times totally unprejudiced and impartial. Stay calm and focused and have a respectful approach in your dealings with all – be it the Curator at the Grounds, the Scorers, The Media people, the PCT (Playing control Team) the local organising committee and officials etc.

23. Are there any additional comments you'd like to add for the blog readers?
My good wishes to the Desert Moon- may her blog continue to be read and followed. Thanks for this pleasure of being a part of it.

Once again, thank you very much Devdas Govindjee for taking the time to answer these questions and also for sharing some of your priceless pictures with all of us.Desert Moon wishes you all the best in your career and beyond!!!