A belated but welcome step

Despite certain tendencies towards change in recent times, cricket still largely lives up to its image of a traditional sport. Administrators have generally been conservative in their approach and the game has remained behind many other sports as far as entertainment value, colourful clothing and marketing strategies are concerned.

Now that the ICC has at last taken a decision that should have been taken some time ago, it is to be hoped that the eight members of the elite panel would do their utmost to defuse tensions in a field that has attracted a lot of attention lately thanks to TV innovations.

The recent decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to set up an elite panel of eight umpires who will stand in Tests from next month is a case in point. Whereas other sports have had neutral officials in international matches for years, cricket is just catching up in this aspect. For well over 100 years, home officials stood in Tests and with cricket living up to its reputation of being a gentleman's game, umpiring never became a contentious issue and decisions were generally taken in the right spirit.

But in the late 70s and early 80s, as player behaviour became increasingly boorish and slow motion TV replays exposed the fallibility of the umpires, the call for neutral umpires became more and more strident. Umpiring became a controversial issue and while allegations of incompetence was hurled at umpires, home officials were levied the additional charge of being biased.

In the mid-80s, senior players like Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan freely advocated the need to have neutral umpires, especially after a couple of India­Pakistan contests drew critical responses from the two stars, who were then captains of their respective countries. And in 1986-87, at the insistence of the Pakistan authorities, Indian umpires PD Reporter and VK Ramaswamy stood in the series between West Indies and Pakistan, as an experimental measure.

The move was widely welcomed as there was distinct absence of bickering over decisions. Three years later, English umpires John Holder and John Hampshire were invited to stand in the four Test India-Pakistan series in Pakistan. The two made a quietly effective contribution to the smooth conduct of the matches Tension, so very common in games between the two countries, was missing. Events on the field were far less contentious with both teams accepting the umpires, and their rulings, in good faith. At least the charge of bias could not be made, the occasional mistakes did not lead to flare-ups and the result was that the atmosphere was refreshingly free of suspicion.

Taking the cue, the ICC decided to go for neutral umpires but the first step was taken gingerly. By the early 90s, an international umpires panel had been formed but along with one member of this panel, there would be one home umpire to stand in a Test. Thus, the charge of bias could still be made and it was taken for granted that this overcautious approach would soon be replaced by the bolder step of having neutral umpires at both ends. However, it has taken a decade for the second step to be taken ­ very much in keeping with the ultra-cautious approach of the administrators and the still traditional image of the game. Come April and two umpires from the elite panel will stand in all future Tests while one member will stand with a home umpire for one-day internationals. So far, only home umpires had stood in one-day matches.

Now that the ICC has at last taken a decision that should have been taken some time ago, it is to be hoped that the eight members of the elite panel would do their utmost to defuse tensions in a field that has attracted a lot of attention lately thanks to TV innovations. For a start, the chosen umpires will be given a briefing on their new roles at a meeting in Cape Town from March 21 to 24. According to ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed, all aspects would be covered ­ including legal training from a specialised lawyer. Besides, the intensive programme will include seminars covering procedural matters relating to cricket discipline, IT training, the psychology of decision-making, a presentation from the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, medical, fitness and media training.

To quote an example, umpires will be given laptop computers so that they can be forwarded immediate information on how issues have been dealt with at other international contests so that there is more uniformity in decision-making. Each umpire will also be given a CD-ROM with recordings of the decisions they have made during a day's play so they will be able to look at their decisions and learn from them.

Former England captain and notable psychologist Mike Brearley, "the bloke with a degree in people" as former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg once described him, will also attend the Cape Town meeting to talk to the umpires about the psychology of decision-making and how to cope when they make bad decisions. In the words of Speed, "We want to wheel out a significantly better product in umpiring than we have had in the past. The constant, high pressure demands of international cricket means that umpiring at the highest level now has to be a full time profession, rather than a part time job. The eight men chosen to join the elite panel are all proven performers at Test level, who command the respect of the captains and players."

The umpires have agreed for two-year, full-time contracts with the ICC. Incidentally, the Cape Town meeting will also be attended by a panel of match referees whose role has become increasingly important in recent years. The meeting will also discuss a new system of identifiable offences that players or officials might commit and the degree of punishment applicable. It is hoped the formula will help give a better direction with which umpires and referees could charge players while also giving them a better idea of what is and what is not acceptable. At the moment, there are some grey areas, which were highlighted by the Mike Denness controversy in South Africa in November last year. It is hoped that after the Cape Town meeting, the areas will be clearly marked white or black.