Umpire Overhaul

The ICC Elite Panel needs a serious overhaul.

We don’t want the results of cricket matches to be determined by poor umpiring decisions anymore. We have had enough of their blunders and have tolerated enough of their match-changing bad decisions.

The recent test match between Australia and New Zealand has been replete with umpiring blunders. Hussey, Jesse Ryder and Brendan Mc Cullum got shockers. Its high time the ICC put an end to it.

Since the use of technology to aid umpiring decisions is still ages away, the only solution now is to sack quite a few members of the so-called Elite panel of umpires.

Asad Rauf, Billy Doctrove and Rudy Koertzen need to be sacked with immediate effect. Rudy is way past his prime and the other two never deserved to be there in the panel in the first place.

Simon Taufel is still way ahead of his peers, and Aleem Dar is not far behind. The ICC must set these two as the benchmark of umpiring standards for those aspiring to be in the Elite panel.

Steve Bucknor can rest happily in Jamaica. He has learnt his lesson in life that he should not earn the wrath of the BCCI.

Mark Benson is an average umpire. As long as he does not take the fielder’s word in making his decision, he can serve in the panel for a few more years.

Bill Bowden is mostly accurate if not for a few blunders here and there. He can be given an extended run, as the game needs a few show phony characters.

Ian Howell is known for his howlers. I haven’t seen him around for a long time and i hope he never comes back to officiate.

We can have Darrell Hair back and not field him in test matches involving Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Daryl Harper is an average umpire who has been among the bad decisions in the recent past. He can be given a lifeline.

Russell Tiffin hasn’t been umpiring long enough. He can be given a run too.

Steve Davis is handy, and we would like to see more of him in test matches around the world.

If Asoka De Silva isn’t already out of the panel, the ICC should waste no more time.

None of the Indian umpires have qualified to be in the Elite Panel. India produced one Venkat and there has not been one umpire who came any closer to qualifying for the elite panel after him.