KEY POINTS:
MUMBAI - The role of the match referee will come under scrutiny during an International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executives' committee meeting in the United Arab Emirates later this week.
The ICC's executive board recommended last November that a paper be prepared following the Oval test fiasco when umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove decided Pakistan had forfeited the match against England.
"The members of the chief executives' committee will now be asked to consider whether the match referee should be responsible for making decisions on the termination of a match," the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday.
Their recommendation will to be presented to the ICC board for a final decision in March.
"...The match referee is the 'chief executive' of an international cricket match who is responsible for liaising with the teams, the boards, the venue and other stakeholders to ensure the smooth running of a match," ICC General Manager (Cricket) David Richardson said.
"It is therefore suggested that while the on-field role of the umpires shall not be undermined, the match referee should have the final say on the termination of a match."
Pakistan blamed Hair when they forfeited the fourth test last August after being penalised for alleged ball tampering. The Australian was subsequently banned from umpiring internationals by the ICC.
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was cleared of ball tampering although the ICC banned him for four one-day internationals for bringing the game into disrepute.
The subject of anti-doping in international cricket is also on the agenda of the meeting, which starts on Thursday.
- REUTERS
