Umpires Evans and Jesty join ICL

Two English county umpires, Jeff Evans and Trevor Jesty, have signed contracts to stand in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) which begins next week.

Both officials have been told that their future contracts with the ECB, which run from April to September, won't be affected although the ECB have said they'd prefer their umpires not to take part because of the lack of anti-corruption safeguards in place.

"I saw this as an opportunity to visit India and to gain experience umpiring in a major competition," Evans told The Daily Telegraph. "I've had many sleepless nights about it, but I have consulted my solicitor, the Professional Cricketers' Association solicitor and sought advice from anyone and everyone in the game."

Ray Julian, who retired from first-class umpiring six years ago, has also agreed to travel to the ICL but Ismail Dawood, the former Yorkshire and Glamorgan wicketkeeper, has turned down an offer as he wants to ensure he is included on ECB's reserve list next season.

"I would like to umpire in first-class cricket in England and I didn't want to jeopardise my prospects," said Dawood. "It was a tough decision because the ICL contract was extremely lucrative."