Batsmen should be allowed to appeal

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be pressing the International Cricket Council (ICC) to pass a resolution in which the batsmen can appeal against umpire's decision.

The PCB will be urging the ICC to allow the batsman to approach the field umpire to seek help from television umpire in case of a dubious decision. The PCB, which will be submitting the proposal in Kuala Lumpur's ICC executive meeting scheduled between Oct 15 and 19, is probably recommending the change in the law particularly after Inzamam-ul-Haq suffered a cruel leg before decision in the final of the tri-nation one-day series in England in June.

However, the request seems to be strange as the television field umpires are only authorized to consult TV umpires in case of catches, boundary line decisions, run-outs and stumpings. Often, the batsmen, showing resentment against the decision, have been penalized while the umpires have been let off the hook. Inzamam is currently under a twomatch suspension for walking slowly after been given leg before by Peter Willey off Shane Warne.

The PCB will also be pleading the ICC to post and appoint umpires in its elite panel on standing rather than experience. The ICC has already said it would constitute a panel of 20 best umpires who would only supervise Test matches. However, the composition of the panel is yet to be decided.

The suggestion seems logical as the most experienced umpires like David Shepherd has been making horrendous mistakes in the recent past. The PCB will also be emphasizing for equal distribution of matches for umpires. Besides the tour penalty for not fulfilling international commitment, the PCB is said to be demanding the ICC to prepare a 10-year calendar for junior cricket.

The Pakistan cricket authorities are said to question FICA (Federation of International Cricket Association) appearance in some of the ICC meetings as observers. The PCB are preparing the case in the background that players associations only existed in England, South Africa and Australia.