Raman Subba Row to work on refreeing and umpiring review
The ICC has appointed one of its most senior match referees to work with it
on the reform of the international umpiring and refereeing panels.
Raman Subba Row, a former England Test batsman, ex-chairman of the English
Test and County Cricket Board and an ICC referee since 1991, will work with
senior managers at the ICC to develop detailed proposals on the
restructuring of the current system.
February's ICC Executive Board meeting in Melbourne agreed to the principal
of a major review of the present system, where independent Test match
umpires are selected from a 20 strong panel nominated by full member
countries (with the current exception of Bangladesh).
The proposal under development would work towards an elite panel of eight
full time contracted umpires, who would be appointed to stand in most, if
not all Tests. Appointment to this group would be purely on merit,
reflecting the seniority and status of individuals based on, among other
things, marks awarded by Test captains.
A similar approach is also planned for the ICC match referees panel. A full
time group of up to eight referees will be contracted to the ICC and
assigned to international series. A supplementary panel will be allocated to
cover other ICC approved international tournaments. Formal criteria will be
introduced to encourage the recruitment of a new generation of referees to
the panels.
"Raman is one of our most experienced referees and a highly respected figure
who has been heavily involved in the game in senior positions over the
years. As a current member of the referees' panel he is fully aware of the
challenges faced by match officials in the contemporary game. We are
delighted that he has agreed to work with us on this very important
project," commented ICC Chief Executive David Richards.
A target date of April 2002 has been set for the introduction of both the
new umpire and referee systems.
Mail your comments