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Thursday, 11 May 2006, 11:01 GMT 12:01 UK

ICC responds to Bucknor TV claims

"At the beginning of my career, umpires were trusted"
Steve Bucknor

Australia captain Ricky Ponting and umpire Steve Bucknor The International Cricket Council will continue to consider increased use of technology despite claims that some broadcasters have doctored TV replays.

The allegations were made by Steve Bucknor, international cricket's most experienced match official.

He claims inaccurate on-screen graphics and incomplete video clips had been used to "make umpires look bad".

But ICC general manager Dave Richardson said: "Umpires are always defensive about their own decisions."

Last weekend, the ICC's Cricket Committee gave its backing to a proposal to allow teams to have contentious decisions made by officials out in the middle referred to the TV umpire.

They would, however, be restricted to three appeals per innings.

The plan has still to be approved by the full ICC Board, but it is hoped it can be trialled at the Champions Trophy in India later this year.

Bucknor claims umpires were not consulted.

But Richardson told BBC World Service Sport: "I often point to him as a very good example of why we need to give technology a go.

ICC Cricket committee

"He's done particularly well this year. After not a great year last year, he's averaging around 96% of his decisions being correct, and yet he's made one or two decisions which have come in for terrible criticism from the media and from fans writing in to us.

"It's kind of a lesser of two evils. We don't want to compromise the spirit of cricket and we don't want the players having little respect for the on-field umpires, but on the other we want to avoid umpiring controversies."

The ICC would not be drawn on whether they would ask Bucknor to provide more details of his allegations concerning the use of TV replays.

But he said: "When these things are happening, it makes life extremely difficult for umpires. Who do you trust from there on?"

Extending the use of technology was an issue which needed "to be discussed and debated from all perspectives", ICC media and communications manager Brian Murgatroyd told BBC Sport.

"From that point of view, I guess Steve has contributed to the debate," he added.




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