Neutral umpires to be re-introduced soon, says International Cricket Council official

International Cricket Council (ICC) will soon re-introduce neutral umpires despite the Covid-19 pandemic providing an opportunity to give home umpires more exposure, chairman Greg Barclay said on Monday. "There were some benefits (of Covid) for cricket," Barclay told reporters in Dhaka. "One of them was the chance to use umpires at home.

It has given home umpires some exposure to international cricket. "I think that's good. It spread the base a little bit wider.

But, we are at the other side of Covid. So we are reintroducing neutral umpire arrangement... You will see neutral umpires back up and running again," he said.

Umpires from host countries have been used exclusively since 2020 when the pandemic imposed worldwide travel restrictions. The arrangement came under sharp criticism during Bangladesh's recent tour of South Africa when the visitors raised allegations of bias against two local umpires in the Test series. South African umpires Marais Erasmus and Adrian Holdstock stood in the series, where Bangladesh had been on the wrong end of several close calls.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who did not play the series, was among a chorus of Bangladeshi social media users criticising the umpires. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it would file formal complaints to ICC match referee manager over claims of biased umpiring and "unbearable" sledging. Bangladesh partially restored neutral umpiring in the country's ongoing series against Sri Lanka when it appointed England's Richard Kettleborough and West Indies' Joel Wilson alongside local umpire Sharfuddoula.