The International Cricket Council (ICC) Tuesday rejected Pakistan's
objection and retained controversial New Zealander John Reid as match
referee for the first half of the Asian Test Championship.
Pakistan host Bangladesh between Aug 29 and Sept 2 at Multan and then
play against India at Lahore between Sept 12 and 16, pending New Delhi
clearance. The remaining matches are between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
at Colombo and India and Bangladesh at Bangalore.
In a press statement, the ICC said its policies don't permit any
member country to veto the appointment of independent referees or
umpires.
The ICC statement added that the policy was reconfirmed at the ICC
executive board meeting at Nairobi in October 2000. However, the
toothless and ineffective ICC forgot that it had removed Darrell Hair
from the 1999 World Cup matches involving Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka had
refused to play the games if supervized by Hair. The Australian had
called Muttiah Muralitharan seven times in an over during the 1995-96
Melbourne Test.
The statement, quoting ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed, said: "I
have spoken personally to the PCB and John Reid about this matter and
explained the ICC's position.
"The PCB has assured me that John Reid will receive the same
courtesies that are extended to all ICC officials visiting the
country, and for his part Mr Reid remains keen to fulfil his
appointment covering the (four) Test matches."
Pakistan, last week, had registered its protest against the
appointment of Reid after the former New Zealand captain made
controversial decisions which left cricket in a spin.
Reid, in 1999, forwarded Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar's case to the
ICC after he was reported for throwing during the Perth Test by
umpires Darrell Hair and Peter Willey. Ironically, Reid had not raised
any eye-brows against the pacer despite being the match referee in at
least two World Cup games involving Pakistan. However, the most
debatable Reid's decision was against current Pakistan captain Waqar
Younis whom he handed a 50 per cent fine and one-match suspension on
the charges of ball tampering. Azhar Mahmood was also fined on the
same offence in the tri-nation one-day series in Sri Lanka last year.
Reid's cruel decision, which left a black spot on Waqar's glittering
career, was an unilateral one as none of the umpires had reported the
incident to the New Zealand.
The ICC further said if India crossed borders for the icebreaking
Test, South African Rudi Koertzen will be the third country umpire.