No More Neutral Umpiring?

Covid-19 will end neutral umpiring, but DRS did that long ago.
Mike Atherton.
The Times.
Monday, 18 May 2020.
PTG 3126-15465.



The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to end, in the short term at least, the principle of two neutral umpires in Test cricket. With requirements to keep international travel to a minimum during the crisis, neutrality will be scrapped for biosecure international cricket this summer, and with the Decision Review System (DRS) an established part of the game, umpires could be chosen on merit alone in future, rather than nationality (PTG 3079-15246, 10 April 2020).

The issue is one of a number of urgent topics to be discussed by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) annual Cricket Committee meeting when it meets virtually on Monday before what will become the first biosecure, behind-closed-doors Tests in England in July, if the three-Test series against West Indies is rescheduled as expected (PTG 3125-15463, 17 May 2020). Clearly a logical, common-sense step for the short term will be to scrap the rule whereby local umpires cannot stand in home Tests, which has been enshrined in Test cricket since 2002.

Other issues for the Cricket Committee to discuss include the thorny problem of the ball and what bowlers should be allowed to apply to it, given the health concerns over sweat and saliva. The game’s Laws may have to be modified if artificial substances are allowed, or the balance between bat and ball discussed if they are not. Furthermore, the use of substitutes for coronavirus (and potentially other injuries) will require an extension beyond the current allowance for concussion only (PTG 3104-15354, 29 April 2020).

Decisions about the ball and substitutes are not likely to outlive the pandemic, being short-term measures for a specific moment in time, but the notion of umpires constantly flying around the world is likely to be seen as outdated once this crisis passes. The toll on their mental health from being permanently on the road should not be underestimated and may be considered unnecessary post-Covid, and out of step with a world determined to cut its emissions.

Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, was the most vociferous voice in favour of neutral umpires during his playing days. After years of complaints, private and public, about the use of home umpires for Tests, the move to neutrality was a gradual one. In 1994 the ICC mandated the use of one neutral umpire per Test, which was extended to two eight years later. It has been a standard requirement in Test cricket ever since.

It was a welcome move, helping to remove any suspicion of bias. It did create some unintended consequences, though: the best umpires when they are Australians or Englishmen are often unable to stand in the most high-profile series such as the Ashes, a problem given that seven of the 12 umpires on the ICC’s Elite Umpires Panel (EUP) are from England and Australia. After a number of errors from the standing umpires in the Ashes Test at Edgbaston last year, former Australian captain and now commentator Ricky Ponting urged the ICC to appoint on merit alone (PTG 2874-14275, 3 August 2019).

Around the same time Ponting and others expressed such views the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) World Cricket Committee, of which he is a member, played down calls for the neutral umpire policy to be scrapped. John Stephenson the MCC’s head of cricket was quoted as saying afterwards: "the feeling is still that neutrality works [but] unfortunately there is still quite an imbalance in the [EUP’s current make-up]” (PTG 2884-14321, 15 August 2020). EUP members themselves supported that view (PTG 2879-14295, 8 August 2019).

The requirement for neutrality means that umpires have become the most widely travelled among the cricket community, given that they can never officiate in their home countries. Peter Willey, a top-class umpire after retirement from playing, stepped away from officiating in international cricket because he refused to countenance a life on the road. Ian Gould, 62, retired recently after 13 years on the EUP and reckoned he spent no more than 80 days at home a year. Others have pointed to such issues (PTG 2875-14280, 4 August 2019).

More than anything, the DRS system acts as a counterweight to the requirement for neutrality. With recourse to technology, initially for line decisions but now broadened to include challenges for any perceived mistake, howlers are largely a thing of the past. After the introduction of theEUP, essentially professionalising the trade, the standard of umpiring is far better than in Imran’s day in any case.

The ICC will consider extending the allowance for substitutes beyond concussion. Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne made history in Test cricket at Lord’s last year, when he became the first concussion substitute for Steve Smith (PTG 2887-14334, 19 August 2019), and the potential complications of Covid-19 will require an extension of this provision. If a player becomes infected, or has to leave a biosecure environment to go to hospital for an x-ray, for example, a substitute would be necessary.

Although England captain Joe Root said he would not be in favour of anything that fundamentally compromised the game, most people would accept this measure as a short-term necessity and an acceptable concession to staging cricket in less-than-perfect conditions. If a player had to leave the biosecure bubble, there is no guarantee he could return if there were a delay to getting tested or receiving test results, and so a like-for-like substitute would be necessary.

As for the ball, little research has been done yet as to whether sweat can transmit the virus, but the ICC is likely to be cautious, wary of permitting saliva or sweat to be used even in a biosecure environment. Various artificial substances are being considered, which would necessitate a short-term relaxation of the laws of the game. One such, already considered by the England and Wales Cricket Board, is the use of an antibacterial solution in a roller ball. Swing is an essential ingredient of the game and should not be discouraged.

If the decision is made not to allow artificial substances, the ICC Cricket Committee will have to debate the balance between bat and ball, and whether groundsmen should be encouraged to prepare more bowler-friendly surfaces to counter the bowlers’ inability to shine and therefore swing the ball. As with all things in this pandemic, one question begets a thousand others.

England Players Back in Training Next Week

BBCSport

England players will begin individual training next week in the first step to returning to action after the coronavirus shutdown.

Bowlers will have staggered sessions at various county grounds with a coach, physio and, where possible, a strength and conditioning coach in attendance.

Other players will return to practice two weeks later.

"These are very tentative steps to returning to play," said England director of cricket Ashley Giles.

There will be no cricket in England or Wales until at least 1 July, a shutdown which has meant the postponement of the Test series against West Indies, which was scheduled for June.

With the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in talks with Cricket West Indies (CWI) over the rescheduling of those three Tests, Giles said the return to training coincides with a seven-week build-up to what could be the start of the series on 8 July.

About 30 players - centrally contracted and from the county system - will be invited to train at 11 venues. The players and venues will be confirmed on Monday. The ECB will also use some county coaches and staff.

On Wednesday, the government issued guidelines on how elite athletes were able to return to training, with further guidance on greater contact between players and coaches due in the coming weeks.

In line with government advice, the ECB will implement the following protocols:

• Each individual will observe strict social-distancing
• Players and support staff will arrive in training kit ready to practise
• Players and support staff will have their temperatures taken before they are allowed to take part
• Medical staff will wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to treat injuries. The PPE will be sourced and funded by the ECB
• Dressing rooms and other venue facilities will be closed

England's women will return to training in late June, while the ECB is expecting to provide an update on when the 18 first-class counties can return to training by the end of May.

"This first phase should be a safer environment than going about daily life," said Giles.

"I'm not making light of this, but there are risks every time you go outside the house. We need to mitigate as many of the risks around the spreading of this virus as we possibly can."

It is likely that any international cricket that is played this summer - England are also due to host Pakistan, Australia and Ireland - will be played behind closed doors, perhaps in a 'bio-secure' environment.

Previous discussions have involved the prospect of players remaining within the team environment for the duration of the summer in order to minimise the risk of infection.

However, Giles said this is not "realistic" given the various home circumstances of the players. For example, the wife of Test captain Joe Root is expecting their second child.

"We are going to have to find ways where we can get players out of their environment," said Giles.

"Our players will do anything they can to get this going, but it isn't realistic to expect them to be in a bubble for 10 weeks."

On Wednesday, CWI chief executive Johnny Grave said some West Indies players would be "very nervous" about travelling to England.

"We are all nervous, aren't we?" Giles said. "I went shopping last week and it's a really weird feeling when you go out. You are almost threatened by anyone who comes near you. That will change over time.

"It can be quite scary but we are doing everything we possibly can to answer all of the West Indies' questions."

EWCB to publish guidelines on recreational club practice.

Barney Ronay.

The Guardian.

Wednesday, 13 May 2020.

PTG 3121-15436.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) is expected to deliver guidelines on reopening some parts of club and recreational cricket, possibly as early as Wednesday.  Cricket was one of the outdoor summer sports overlooked in the UK government’s new lockdown guidelines, whereas golf, tennis and angling – more obviously isolated pursuits – were specifically mentioned by the prime minister.

There has been frustration among cricket clubs and the public over a lack of guidance. Clubs are unable to open and coaches unable to work without direction from governing bodies, in part for fear of legal or insurance problems. Basketball, lawn bowls and croquet have issued guidelines on how to practise safely. The EWCB’s recreational cricket arm is understood not to have received any detailed consultation from the government before Monday’s announcement. The guidelines are being completed as a response.

The EWCB has emphasised nothing in the government’s new guidance suggests any movement on a return to competitive fixtures but accepts cricket finds itself in a lacuna because it is a team sport in matches and an individual one in practice.  At this time of year much of cricket’s activity is coaching, training and preparation in small groups, both as a source of income and recreation – and now as the first step in restarting the sport.

The guidelines are yet to be finalised but it is possible net practise will return with the proviso of one vacant lane between players. Such practise would have to be undertaken in line with government guidelines on live-in family members and proximity to those beyond a person’s household. It is expected clubs will receive guidance on managing shared spaces and social contact.

An EWCB spokesperson said: “We are expecting to receive further clarity from the UK government in the coming days and in turn we will share greater detail and guidelines with the game as soon as we are able. Our priority is to support our colleagues and clubs across the game to deliver elements of outdoor cricket in a responsible way that does not compromise safety”.

"We completely understand the level of patience that recreational players have had to demonstrate and know most will be desperate to return to the nets to practise.  We ask for a little more time to plan the best way to deliver this opportunity to everyone as safely as possible. The health and wellbeing of everyone in cricket remains our number one priority. We will share further updates towards the end of the week along with a support plan for our clubs to follow”.