English umpire Michael Gough 'stood down for six days at T20 World Cup after breach of Covid bubble' in the United Arab Emirates as official is forced to quarantine in his hotel room

Gough, 41, is believed to have left his hotel bubble without permission on Friday
He was stood down for six days having missed India vs New Zealand match
Gough will be confined to his hotel room in strict quarantine for the duration
Umpires are following the same Covid restrictions as the players in the UAE

Published: 16:22 GMT, 1 November 2021 | Updated: 16:29 GMT, 1 November 2021

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The English umpire Michael Gough 'has been stood down from the T20 World Cup for six days after breaching the Covid bubble' in the United Arab Emirates.

Gough, 41, is believed to have left his hotel without permission on Friday to meet with people outside of the officials' bubble.

He was stood down from officiating in the match between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday and replaced by Marais Erasmus.

English umpire Michael Gough (right) 'has been stood down from duties at the T20 World Cup for six days after breaching Covid bubble rules'

The Daily Mirror reported that Gough is confined to his hotel room in strict quarantine and being tested every other day while the ICC investigate the full extend of his breach and whether to issue sanctions.

An ICC spokesperson said: 'The Bio-Security Advisory Committee has instructed Umpire Michael Gough to isolate for six days due to a breach of the event bio-security protocols.'

The officials are being treated in the same way as players participating in the tournament when it comes to Covid rules.

Gough had previously umpired the matches between Australia vs South Africa and New Zealand vs Pakistan matches during the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup, as well as the first round fixture between Netherlands and Namibia.

Gough, pictured for Sportsmail last year, will have to stay in hotel quarantine for six days

The former Durham opening batsman is regarded as one of the game's best umpires. In April 2020, he was cited as the umpire with the highest percentage of on-field decisions upheld after a player review with 95.1 per cent correct.

In June this year, he was one of the on-field umpires for the ICC World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand.

Anyone who tests positive at the tournament, even if they are asymptomatic, will have to isolate for 10 days.

Any close contacts - defined as being within two metres of the infected individual for over 15 minutes - will have to isolate for six days. More casual contacts will be tested within a 24-hour period.

Only a limited number of family members are permitted into team bubbles.