Time For Neutral Third Umpires

On the fourth day of the 1st Test between England and Pakistan the third umpire, the ex-Lahore batsman Asad Rauf, should have ruled that Salman Butt had been run out on the strength of the TV replay. Butt went on to make 122, which was his maiden home century. It has been suggested that although the stumps had clearly been disturbed with the batsman out of his ground, the decision was still correct, as the third umpire could not be certain that the bails were out of their grooves. Under this logic umpires should not give out any catch claimed by a fielder who rolls on the ground, as the ball could have momentarily fallen out and then back into the fielder’s grasp in the instant the umpire’s view was obscured.

It is unfair that Asad Rauf now faces accusations of bias, but it is undeniable that many England fans (me included if I’m honest) would find the decision easier to take if it had been made by an official from a neutral country.

When he was Pakistan captain, Imran Khan argued for neutral umpires in order to diffuse any accusations of home bias. Cricket is a conservative game and it took years for the administrators to react to this selfless suggestion. The first step they took was to introduce one neutral umpire, which of course only halved the problem. Until today I thought that having two neutral umpires had eradicated any accusation of bias. Now I realise that a neutral third umpire is required.