Referees to decide if matches can be terminated

The ICC chief executives' committee has recommended a change in the playing conditions so that only the match referee can terminate a match and not, as is the case at present, the on-field umpires.

The proposal, which came after a two-day meeting of the committee in the UAE, will be considered by the full ICC board when it next meets in March.

The meeting also considered a range of issues relating to anti-doping, and agreed that the ICC should take an active role in monitoring the anti-doping programs of its members.

The review came in the light of the Oval Test last August when Mike Procter's role in events that led to the abandonment of the match was criticised in a number of quarters. Procter seemed a virtual bytstander on the fourth afternoon of the game.

"It's often perceived that the referee is an official of a type used in many other sports," said Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager - cricket. "The reality is that [he] is the 'chief executive' of an international cricket match who is responsible for liaising with the teams, the boards, the venue and other stakeholders to ensure the smooth running of a match.

"It is therefore suggested that while the on-field role of the umpires shall not be undermined, the referee should have the final say on the termination of a match."