CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Umpires Asoka deSilva and Billy Doctrove could find themselves in hot water with the International Cricket Council (ICC), after match referee Wasim Raja faxes his report on West Indies' gripping last-ball victory over New Zealand in the final One-Day International in St Vincent on Sunday.

Raja said he would wait to hear from the ICC how to deal with a formal New Zealand complaint after deSilva and Doctrove thwarted captain Stephen Fleming's plan to use medium-pacer Paul Hitchcock for the crucial last over by wrongly informing him that Hitchcock had exhausted his ten-over limit.

DeSilva is a former Sri Lankan Test cricketer recently appointed as one of eight umpires on the ICC's so-called elite panel. Doctrove is the West Indies Cricket Board appointee who has shared third-umpiring duties with Guyanese Eddie Nicholls throughout the season.

While they are certain to be retained for the two Tests in the coming fortnight, when deSilva will stand with another ICC umpire, Rudi Koertsen of South Africa, and Doctrove will share third-umpiring duties with Nicholls, they could be censured for what Fleming termed basic incompetence.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul clinched victory for West Indies in the match and the series Sunday by hitting three consecutive fours and a single off the last four balls from Daryl Tuffey, the fast bowler Fleming turned to instead of Hitchcock.

I'll wait to hear from the ICC what action, if any, is to be taken in these circumstances, Raja, the former Pakistan batsman appointed to the new panel of referees last year, said.

I send a report to the ICC after every match on all aspects of play, he explained. Naturally, this situation (with the number of overs by each bowler) will be fully covered. It's unique because I do not recall anything like this ever occurring before.

Raja said he spoke to deSilva, Doctrove and Nicholls about the incident after the match Sunday.

I told them they should have checked with each other on a regular basis, especially since the scoreboard was unreliable, he said.

Doctrove had an unfortunate match Sunday.

He gave a dubious decision for a wicketkeeper's catch against New Zealand opener Nathan Astle in the second over and declined to refer a run out decision against No. 3 Chris Nevin in the next to the television replay that showed the batsman short of his ground.

In the dramatic final over, he had to change an immediate signal of six to four on referral to the replay after the New Zealand fielders insisted the ball had landed inside the boundary.

© The Barbados Nation