Indian umpiring criticised

London, Jan 25 (IANS) Indian umpires came in for criticism for their poor officiating in the ongoing five-match One-Day International series against England.

The Indian umpires, though seen as not biased, do lack cricketing experience, not having played at first-class level.

Noted British columnist Scyld Berry blasted the Indian umpires Friday, calling their performance as “abysmal”.

“At one end, the 60 year-old Australian, Steve Davis, for whom it looks like a series too far. At the other, three different Indian umpires whose standard has been – well, abysmal,” he wrote in his column in the Telegraph.

“I wouldn’t accuse any of the three Indian umpires in this series of any bias. In this current ODI series, the three Indian umpires have simply failed to demonstrate the necessary feel for the game – not surprisingly, because none has played first-class cricket.”

Berry also took a dig at the fact that no Indian umpire after Srini Venkataraghavan had been part of the the ICC elite panel.

“It is harsh but fair to say the only Indian umpire of international standard in the last generation has been Venkataraghavan,” he wrote.

“But since Venkat retired in 2004, there hasn’t been one Indian umpire on the ICC elite panel, which reflects badly on the Indian board. A billion people, and a budget of billions, but not one umpire of international standard.”

IANS 2013-01-25 17:12:03