Umpires stripped of power

The ICC have ruled that umpires will no longer have the power to terminate cricket matches. Only match referees will have the authority to do so in the future.

The change comes after last year’s Oval debacle, which has become a massive headache for the ICC in recent times.

In that infamous match, umpire Darrell Hair docked Pakistan five runs in the fourth Test against England at the Oval for ball tampering, a charge captain Inzamam ul-Haq was later cleared of. When the Pakistan side refused to return to the field shortly after lunch, the umpires declared the first ever forfeit in Test match history, causing mass uproar in the cricketing world.

ICC chief executive officer Malcolm Speed said in a statement that the best option in the future would be for only the match referee to have the power of calling off a match.

“The board’s decision reflects the fact that the match referee is the chief executive of the match, the person who has overall responsibility for the way the game is played and officiated,” he said.

“This decision does not, however, detract from the on-field role of the umpires and they would, of course, still remain an integral part of the process of awarding a match in those circumstances.”