Bari censured for umpire outburst

Wasim Bari, Pakistan's chairman of selectors, has been warned as to his future conduct by the International Cricket Council (ICC), after launching into a scathing attack on the English umpire, David Shepherd.

Last week, Australia beat Pakistan by 17 runs in the final of the Videocon Cup, but the match was marred by two contentious decisions from Shepherd, who wrongly adjudged Inzamam-ul-Haq caught-behind, and Yousuf Youhana caught at bat-pad. "Shepherd's umpiring decisions were like target killing," raged Bari in an interview with AFP. "They cost Pakistan the final, and it's time for the inaccurate Shepherd to retire."

That outburst was condemned by the ICC, whose chief executive, Malcolm Speed, deemed it "unacceptable behaviour". Because of a loophole in ICC regulations, which forbid players and team officials from making such contentious comments but have no jurisdiction over selectors, Bari escaped official censure, but Speed was adamant that he would not get away with any future transgression.

"Wasim, please rest assured that any future public criticism of ICC officials by you while you are chairman of selectors for the PCB will be dealt with very firmly under the ICC code of conduct," Speed added in a letter to Bari. "You have been in and around the game long enough to know that you were well and truly out of order in making these comments."

Far from entering into retirement, Shepherd, 63, was kept on to officiate in the one-off match between Pakistan and Australia at Lord's - ample evidence that the ICC are prepared to back their men to the hilt.