Fingers pointed at system of domestic umpire allotment

CHENNAI: As the curtains came down on India’s biggest domestic tournament on Thursday, the focus is shifting to umpiring, which was heavily criticised throughout the Ranji Trophy. It has come to light that 18 new umpires who joined the fold this season were not even subjected to a medical test, which is mandatory before selection.

The new entrants didn’t undergo basic eyesight, hearing, cardio and blood tests as BCCI is said to have cited lack of time as a primary reason. As things stand, the 115 umpires are set to be tested before the start of next season. There were also complaints that many umpires had to stand on duty on consecutive days without a break.

This being India’s biggest domestic season with over 2,000 matches across formats and age-groups, BCCI had to bring in new faces. This and letting a private agency handle the allotment of matches were the reasons why some matches saw rookie umpires officiate at both ends, as against the practice of having one experienced hand. Though most of these incidents happened at the U-19 and U-23 levels, this happened in some Ranji matches as well.

“BCCI used to be directly involved in selection. Mostly, they would pair a senior with someone younger because it is ideal to have at least one used to dealing with situations. This helps juniors learn. This time the allotment was handled by a private agency, which used a computerised method. It just ensured umpires and match referees are not from participating teams. It didn’t pair an experienced with an inexperienced one,” a senior umpire said.

Some of the umpires this newspaper spoke to indicated an experienced hand at one end makes a big difference, especially considering that teams constantly try to explore their weaknesses. The umpires list Karnataka, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengal among teams notorious for this, with some players regularly in the umpires’ ears.

“When we talk about wrong decisions, a lot has happened because of pressure teams exert. You can add Gujarat to the list when Parthiv (Patel) plays. Vidarbha, on the other hand, is one of the well-behaved teams,” an umpire said. The umpires also attribute BCCI’s seedings as one of the reasons why many get away with wrong decisions. BCCI divides the 115 umpires into four categories: Group A (20), Group B (25),  Group C and D (35 each), with current and former ICC umpires (nine in total) in the first group. Except for Group A (Rs 40,000) those in the others groups get Rs 30,000 per day. Promotion and demotion doesn’t change the pay.

“Group A and B umpires officiate in Ranji. After the season, two who fail to reach minimum standards are demoted to Group C. What’s the use? They get the same salary and have less pressure. Umpires in Ranji have more pressure than U-19. But the pay is same for all.”