Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Greg Barclay, has announced that neutral umpires would be reinstated. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the ICC had to nominate home umpires.
“I believe the home umpires gained some experience standing for Test umpiring during the COVID days.”
“It made things a little more complicated. If you look at the stats, you can see that the teams’ performances were pretty much the same as when we had neutral umpires,” Barclay explained.
“Now that we’ve crossed the COVID, we’re reintroducing the impartial umpiring arrangements that were approved at the board meeting a few weeks ago.”
“The use of neutral umpires will be reinstated. Due to operational concerns, I can’t offer you a specific date, but it will be shortly.”
Barclay also discussed ICC World Test Championship, stating that he believes the tournament has aided the format’s growth.
“The ICC Test Championship is now in its second iteration. The first cycle was a huge hit.”
“What we did at the ICC was give them greater importance and attempt to provide them a solid context to maintain and drive to make it more successful,” he said.
“Now, every country has a chance to reach the Test Championship final. If you look at New Zealand, we overcame all odds. There was some good fortune along the road.”
“The Australian tour of South Africa is an example. You can never predict what will happen. It also assures that all participating countries make a minimum commitment to all other teams and participate in Test cricket.”
“Test cricket is still very much a part of the cricketing world. I’m aware that T20 ranks first in terms of profile.”
“The Test Championship is an important aspect of the strategy for ensuring that all teams have an equal chance to play,” he added.
Giving the United States of America hosting rights, according to Barclay, will help the game grow.
“We want to expand the game to a variety of countries. Hosting games benefits the game’s development in that country. It gives fans, players, and partners in the region opportunities.”
“West Indies will host the majority of the games, but I am delighted that the United States, as well as a number of other countries, will host events in the coming cycle,” he stated.
“It’s all part of the plan. It will be fantastic for cricket if we can expand the game over the world.”
