Two neutral umpires in Test matches by April 2002

The International Cricket Council is heading for greater transparency and a more professional approach if the statements made by ICC president Malcolm Gray at a press conference in Chennai on Monday are any indication.

For long, the ICC has been lambasted as a `toothless tiger.' Its officials have been criticised for functioning from an ivory tower, far away from the problems affecting the game and not in touch with reality at all. A traditional game like cricket has not benefited from this kind of approach and the ICC has been held responsible for many of the game's ills in recent times.

Gray is at least aware that this attitude should change and that is a step in the right direction. Dealing at length on the various issues affecting the game today - umpiring controversies, growing misbehaviour of players, the match fixing case, the India-Pakistan impasse - Gray made it clear that the ICC was not oblivious of the problems and was keen to do something about them.

On the India-Pakistan impasse, Gray said that if certain events are beyond the control of the two cricket boards, there is little the ICC can do about it. "The ICC cannot decide on foreign policy matters. They can only persuade the two boards to take part." He however added that "if the reasons given for not playing are not justified, then we could take sanctions against the country." In this connection, Gray revealed that he was going with BCCI president AC Muthiah to New Delhi on Tuesday to meet ministry officials in a bid to resolve the deadlock.

Gray however admitted that the kind of sanctions to be imposed had not been discussed and added that in such cases, alternative arrangements would be made to keep the ICC's ten year Test programme in place.

On the growing use of technology to combat umpiring mistakes, he said there has been some objection to this because of certain ramifications. For example, there was a feeling that the game would slow down considerably if the officials had to refer everything to the third umpire. And then there was the growing problem as to what the duties of the on field umpire would be. Gray said that those advocating this view also felt that umpiring mistakes are part of the game and they should be allowed the rub of the green. He said that a final decision would be taken by the ICC cricket committee which has Sunil Gavaskar as its chairman.

Gray however hinted that two neutral umpires in a Test match would become a reality by April 2002. This move, suggested by Lord MacLaurin, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, was gaining favour among member countries and only the details remained to be worked out. In fact, the captains meeting in Melbourne last month also supported the idea of neutral umpires, he said.

On mistakes made by umpires, Gray remarked that by next year, the ICC hoped to have an elite panel of eight or nine international umpires, followed by a second panel of about 25 officials. He was of the view that the overall umpiring standards were good but technology made it appear as if there were a lot of mistakes. He said that the ICC would try and make umpiring more attractive so that younger people who had played the game would take it up.

Gray dwelt at length on the vexed problem of sledging. He started by saying that the standards of behaviour in society as a whole had degenerated but in cricket, which still has the tag of a gentleman's game, "we have not acknowledged this." He admitted that the misbehaviour of the players had increased but added that thanks to the increasing use of technology and the introduction of measures like the match referee, the ICC had taken steps to combat this menace. "Tennis has taken steps in this direction and I would say that players like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe would not get away today with the kind of behaviour they exhibited in their playing days. In football, they have tough measures like the red card. In cricket, we have long left it to the captain to control his players."

Answering a question, Gray agreed with the reporter that the steps taken by the ICC had not had much of an impact. "We have not given enough support to the umpires in terms of defining their roles, their remuneration or their fitness. We have not given enough thought or support to the concept of the match referee. We have just sent him out there to do the job and this can lead to various interpretations. We need to give proper yardsticks to the match referee. The ICC has to become more professional in this regard," he admitted.

On the ICC KnockOut tournament, Gray said he was in favour of holding the prestigious competition in developing countries. "After holding it in Dhaka and Nairobi we plan to hold it in similar places to sustain the ICC membership." He however would have no objection if India opted to play host, he said.

Turning to match fixing, Gray complimented the BCCI and said they had taken a "courageous" step in dealing with the controversy "honestly." He said it was not easy to deal with a problem that involved players who were loved and respected all over the country and said that the BCCI had dealt with the issue boldly. He added that the King Commission in South Africa would not sit again. Admitting that the Commission was closed because of pressure from lawyers, Gray however added that the inquiry had virtually completed its work. The ICC chief also said that Sir Paul Condon, head of the anti-corruption unit, would come out with his report on match fixing in April next year.

On the feasibility of holding day-night Test matches, Gray said there have been no official discussions on the subject.