ICC Chief Defends Umpiring

Chief Executive Officer of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Malcolm Speed, says there are not many other areas where additional use of technology can help umpires make correct decisions.

?We looked very hard at the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka last year with the increased use of technology (but) what that has shown is that there are very limited areas where the increase technology can help us,? Speed said.

Speed was speaking as a special guest on the Barbados television programme, 'Line and Length' following the conclusion of the third Cable and Wireless Test between West Indies and Australia.

Speed, who visited Barbados for an ICC meeting last Friday with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) officials about the progress of plans for the staging of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, however, revealed that the ICC is considering having referrals to the Television umpire to determine some leg-before-wicket decisions.

"The inside edge with the lbw decision, that's one way we might be able to do it (and) the ball pitching outside leg stump for the lbw decision, that?s another one that we are looking at," Speed said.

?Apart from that, it is very hard to tell from the television replays, particularly the very faint edge through to the wicketkeeper,? he noted.

?That?s one that the umpire actually at the crease gets a better look at. He hears the edge if there is an edge that we can?t see from the replay so we need to progress carefully there.

?That?s a topic; a lot of people have a lot of different views about it so we are working through that,? asserted Speed.

The umpires have been heavily criticised during the current Test series between the West Indies and South Africa with Sri Lankan Asoka de Silva, who stood in the first two Tests with South African Rudi Koertzen, bearing the brunt of criticism.

But Speed, in defending the umpires on the ICC?s Elite panel, said they have to make decisions with the naked eye immediately without the help of the television and the viewing of several replays.

?The umpire only sees it once in real time and the amazing thing about it is that they get it right as often as they do,? Speed said.

?In fact in this Test match (at Kensington Oval), there were some great decisions where the umpires made difficult decisions and when the commentators looked at it four or five times, they acknowledged the umpire has got it right,? Speed pointed out.

?The commentators always seem to want to the umpire to get it wrong so that they can talk about something but it?s a hard job,? added Speed.

The ICC chief said the competence of umpires on the Elite panel is what matters, not their nationality.

?We want to get to the stage where we forget where they come from and we just recognise them as an ICC umpire, one of the best umpires in the world, that?s would be great,? Speed said.

?Whether there are six from the West Indies or three from Australia or England, as long as they are the best, that?s what we want,? Speed noted.

* From Guyana Chronicle.