ICC asks match officials to stress on integrity of game

The International Cricket Council (ICC) feels that self-policing by Elite Panel of umpires can help curb corruption and maintain the integrity of top umpires.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) feels that self-policing by Elite Panel of umpires can help curb corruption and maintain the integrity of top umpires.

The integrity of the Elite panel was never under question until the Indian board banned Pakistan’s Asad Rauf for allegedly placing bets in Indian Premier League (IPL) matches while officiating in the league and accepting expensive gifts from bookies during 2013 season.

The ICC also subsequently dropped Rauf from its panel.

The mission statement following the three-day ICC Elite Panel Conference in Dubai (Sept 17-19) emphasises on honesty and core values. It calls for self-policing to ensure that the core values are upheld. The conference was attended by members of the elite panel of Match Referees, umpires as well as members of the international Panel of umpires and umpire coaches.

Former India paceman, Javagal Srinath, an ICC match referee, said: “This conference has high significance, enhancement of our own performance can happen through discussions and finding solutions. All these things can only lead towards one way – the development of the game.

“This is a collective learning (workshop), expectations are set, minimum standards are described. The amended laws come into play, and overall you learn a lot and share a lot.”