Candidates Unhappy With BCCI's 90 Per Cent Cut-Off In Level-II Umpire Examination

Candidates appearing for Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) high cut-off marks for the level-II umpires examination held on June 17 and August 5. The BCCI has set the cut-off of the 100 marks exam to 90, making it extremely tough for the candidates to make it to the next level.

As a result only 39 of the 186 candidates have managed to qualify for the viva voce and practical exam. The second round of the exam will take place on September 18 and 19 in Nagpur.  Saba Karim, GM Cricket Operations, have sent mails to the qualified candidates, informing them to report in Nagpur on September 17.

According to Hindustan Times, the qualified candidates will also be given local conveyance of Rs600 and DA of Rs750 per day for one before and one day after the course.

Meanwhile, several candidates have urged the BCCI to reconsider the high cut-off mark. The candidates are backing their request by claiming that umpiring is not just about written exams and there is a need for practical knowledge in the subject.

In a mail sent to the CoA and other BCCI officials, one of the aspirants requested for the board to be a little more lenient in their approach.

“Please consider the qualifying marks and give opportunities to students who secured 80 per cent and above. 80 per cent is a benchmark in any examination in India. Umpiring is not such a job where extraordinary students are necessary. Umpiring is an on field task where an overall package of an individual is required,” he wrote according to Hindustan Times.

The candidate also requested the board to check with those applicants who are already associated with the BCCI  in any form on whether they wish to continue with their current positions or appear for the next stages of the umpiring test. This he believes would help those only appearing for the umpiring exams.

“There are also umpires who are associated with the BCCI as scorers or video analysts or in some other form. Before appearing for the oral exams, they can be asked to leave their current position and then appear in the examination. This will give other candidate/s from the same state who have also secured 80 per cent and above an opportunity,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Saba Karim declined to speak much on the issue. He said that the cut-off is decided by the umpires committee and that is not his domain.

“See, that is not done by me. It is the umpires committee which decides on the cut-off. My job is to make the process transparent. As of now we are not looking into reworking the cut-off,” he said.