by Rex Clementine

 Cricket’s global governing body, ICC, is encouraging member boards to try innovations that will improve the game. Sean Easey, Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees of the ICC, says the modification done by BCCI allowing players to review umpiring calls for wides and no balls during the IPL was a decision in the right direction. Furthermore, it could become part of international games in the future.

 “I was lucky enough to go to IPL and see how that system worked. Credit to BCCI for trying that out. As an international organization, we rely on boards to do some research and develop things that will help improve match officiating and help the game overall. We need to understand it more first. We need to work with our providers on how the system could be used at a global event. There is definitely scope for us to use technology more and more moving forward,” Easey told Sunday Island in an interview.

 Another significant moment in the game was when New Zealand Cricket named Kim Cotton as an umpire in a men’s T-20 match involving New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Dunedin last year. This could happen in ICC events as well moving forward.

 “That is definitely part of the plan. Very shortly we are launching a new umpire pathway. We are working very closely with boards to come up with inclusive and clear pathway models. We would love to see female umpires doing men’s games. Hopefully one day female umpires will be doing men’s Test cricket.”

Born in Melbourne, Easey played community cricket in Victoria and functioned in a similar role to the one with ICC with Cricket Australia for 12 years before moving to Dubai in 2023.

The best 20 umpires in the world officiated the recent World Cup in the Caribbean and USA. The umpiring standards have improved significantly in the last ten years or so and there are various aspects to help umpires making accurate decisions. Match Referees keep a close eye on how umpires perform and there are Umpire Coaches as well who play a key role. However, feedback from captains on umpires has reduced somewhat at present.

 “Captains do give feedback, but they aren’t as direct as it used to be. One reason is that there is a trend that favourable feedback comes from winning teams while unfavourable feedback is usually from the losing team. It is hard for us to interpret that. The captains are always welcome to give feedback either through the Match Referee, or there is a form that they can fill in and give us,” Easey explained.

Covid made everyone adjust and one of the significant things that happened with umpires and match referees is that officials had got an opportunity to do home games. However, we have now gone back to neutral umpires. Given the accuracy rates of umpires at international games, is there a chance to do away with the concept of neutral umpires?

 “It is a very complex question. The international panel of umpires did a wonderful job. They performed well. We have gone back to neutral umpires now. There are several reasons why we think neutral umpires is important. That takes out the accusation of bias from home umpires. That still exists, which is a shame but that’s the reality. The other thing about neutral appointments is that we are able to get the best umpires officiating more often, and in big games.”

So how does the process of getting the best umpires to officiate in a World Cup final or a semi-final or an Ashes contest work?

“It’s not just a case of umpires who made the least number of errors at the event. We have worked through a process during the World Cup where umpires and referees moved through to the Super Eight phase of this event. From 20 umpires we reduced to 16 umpires for the second round. Lots of statistics were looked at. An umpire may have been error free for four months and can make one mistake. That’s not a deal breaker. Another key aspect is we want people who manage games well.”

 Most cricketers when they retire opt for commentaries or coaching and umpiring doesn’t seem to be one of the preferred areas post-retirement. Easey wants people to give umpiring a go. “The key message is to be open to it. If you enjoy being part of the game, try and give it a go. People will be pleasantly surprised at the team environment and camaraderie that we have got. Umpiring is the only non-playing role in cricket that keeps you in the game. It is a unique position and you can take a lot of pride in it.