Uncomfortable choice of umpires for ongoing series

Lahore: Two umpires appointed for the India-Pakistan series, Australian Darrell Hair and West Indian Stever Bucknor, seem unpopular among the players here at Lahore.

The general feeling is that the International Cricket Council could have avoided appointing officials who were involved in controversial incidents with players of both the teams.

Though both teams do not have any say in the selection of umpires, many feel that considering the intense battle that is likely to follow during the series, officials with clean records could have been appointed.

Pakistan's main grouse is against 53-year-old Hair.

They say that it was Hair who controversially adjudged Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq run out and unnecessarily warned Danish Kaneria and Salman Butt for running on the pitch during the last Australia-Pakistan series.

Hair has also had arguments with then-captain Ganguly and former Indian allrounder Kapil Dev.

Though the Indians do not have much against Hair, they seem a little uncomfortable with umpire Bucknor.

This 59-year-old umpire, who has been appointed for the last two One-dayers of the series, was in fact booed out of Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the 2005 series against Pakistan after he had surprised Tendulkar by wrongly adjudging him leg before.

In 1998, Tendulkar was also controversially given run out despite Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar obstructing him from reaching the crease.

Fortunately, umpire Rudi Koertzen has not been involved in serious controversies with the two teams. However, he is hugely unpopular with the Sri Lankans for his controversial decisions during the 2001 England-Sri Lanka series.

Though the playing nations cannot be given the authority to have a say in the selection of umpires, increasing the number of umpires in the elite panel could help avoid such situations.

Also, umpires above the age of 50 should be given enough breaks between series.