England vs India, 2021: Sunil Gavaskar Calls For Neutral Umpires
Updated - 15 Aug 2021, 02:57 AM
Former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar has stated that it’s time to bring back neutral umpires who were in place before the covid-19 pandemic took over. However, he also praised the umpires in the ongoing Test series between England and India.
Prior to the pandemic-enforced travel restrictions, the matches saw neutral umpires officiating. However, since it isn’t straightforward for umpires to move across countries anymore, home umpires are the new norm. This has sparked debates on possible bias among umpires.
“I would still want to see neutral umpires because after you exhaust your 2-3 reviews, there could still be a decision that could be game-turning. To avoid the finger of bias, you should have neutral umpires.”
“The quality of umpiring has been brilliant though” – Sunil Gavaskar
Since 1994, ICC had made it mandatory to have one neutral umpire in Test matches. Eight years later, they changed it two in each game. It temporarily put an end to the bias debate. However, those conversations are rife once again.
Gavaskar stressed his neutral umpire point but also clarified that the current umpires in England have been top-class. Michael Gough and Richard Kettleborough have been officiating in the Lord’s Test, and they’ve rarely had any decisions overturned.
“The quality of umpiring in this series (England vs India) as well as in Australia has been brilliant. Can’t say that about it during our (playing) days though,” he noted.
Gough was also the umpire last month when India lost to New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. He has been rated as one of the best at the moment and is also part of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel.
Also Read – Joe Root Leapfrogs Alastair Cook To Become The Fastest England Batsman To Cross 9000 Test Runs
Tagged:
ICC Sunil Gavaskar
