Index






Umpire

Cricket may well be a players' game, but try playing it without umpires! Without independent officials to administer the rules or laws of a sport, any match would soon turn into anarchy

There have been umpires controlling cricket matches for hundreds of years and the maintenance of the role and status of umpires is vital for the future of the game

Under the game's Laws of Cricket the umpire's decision is final. Umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play - whether the bowling is dangerous or the ball has been tampered with and so on - and, to the chagrin of many players, whether a batter is dismissed or not

The opinion and judgement of the umpire or umpires is what counts, not what the batters, fielders, spectators, the governing body or anybody else think about the matter. It is against the Spirit of the Game to dispute an umpire's decision, or abuse him, or engage in excessive or aggressive appealing. The powers of an umpire are thus very wide, but with that power comes responsibility

Umpires owe it to the players, the clubs, the governing bodies and themselves to be, and to remain, as highly trained, highly qualified, competent and professional as possible.