Thursday's match between India and West Indies at Georgetown will be a curtain-raiser to the Test series, but it will also be a first of another kind. For the first time in history, two umpires from the International Cricket Council's (ICC) newly formed elite panel will officiate in a Test match, and a member of the referee's panel will look over proceedings. Umpires Asoka de Silva and Daryl Harper are both from neutral countries, and will be under obligation to report any misdemeanours on the field before the referee can take action. "The referee is now more of an on-site manager. There is this image of the referee running after the players with a big whip which has to change," explains Ranjan Madugulle, chief of the referee's panel, and the man on this site for the entire series. "Earlier the referee was in the conflicting position of being prosecutor and the judge. Now, he will solely be the arbitrator, which is a much fairer system."

Four levels of offences have been drawn up, and are being approved by the boards of various countries as you read this. Some offences are to be made appealable, others aren't. A clear picture should emerge within the next fortnight.

The umpires themselves are quite happy with their policing role. "We always had this authority, but now it is more binding on us. It is the correct way," says de Silva. The field umpires will be allowed to consult the third eye before making the complaint to the referee. But there could be more third eye still.

September's ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka is to be an experiment for what could turn out to be the greatest paradigm shift in umpiring since the introduction of the third umpire. The field umpires will be able to refer any doubt to the third umpire. This includes checking whether the ball pitched outside leg stump in an lbw appeal, or whether there really was some bat before the ball popped up off the pad.

Sounds good, but will it slow down the game? Harper reckons that "in a typical one-day game, we get only two or three decisions that need to be referred. I can't see ninety seconds harm the game if it helps us arrive at the right decisions."

There has also been a worry of umpire burnout becoming more common than player burnout. Not so, thinks Madugulle. "Daryl and Asoka will both be here for the first three Tests, and this has rarely ever happened before. We will be working together for nearly one month and the continuity encourages better teamwork. The number of umpires and referees can be reviewed if the load proves too much, but this is an excellent start. I'm very positive about it."

Harper and de Silva are two of the twelve umpires centrally contracted to the ICC on a two-year rolling basis. Criticism of the panel being too old is easily brushed aside. "Asoka is at his prime at 45, and me, I look 45," laughs Harper. Actually, he is 50 but looks good for a few more.

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com India. His reports will appear here throughout the Test series.

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