Despite Indian complaints, ICC non-committal

There is little that ICC can do as rules do not allow any team to object to an umpire's appointment, says a spokesman.

The International Cricket Council will resist Indian demands to sack umpire Steve Bucknor from standing in next week's third Test against Australia.

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants Bucknor banned from officiating at the match in Perth as punishment for a series of blunders he made during the second Test in Sydney.

The ICC said member countries were not permitted to interfere or oppose the appointment of umpires.

"The standard Test match playing conditions are signed by the respective board, and the condition states that neither team has a right to object to an umpire's appointment. There is little ICC can do," an ICC spokesman said on Monday.

Bucknor and Englishman Mark Benson were heavily criticised by Indian officials for their handling of the second Test which Australia won by 122 runs.

Both teams were adversely affected by wrong calls but India suffered more than the Australians.

The most significant occurred on the first day when Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was incorrectly given not out on 30 before going on to make 162 not out. Then on the last day India's Rahul Dravid was wrongly given out when he was trying to save the game.

"We're not saying this because we have lost the game. It was for everybody to see."

Benson was not scheduled to stand in the third Test but 61-year-old Bucknor was listed to officiate along with Pakistan's Asad Rauf.

Jamaican-born Bucknor is the most experienced umpire in international cricket history, having stood in a record 120 Tests, and five World Cup finals.

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