Former ICC match referee Chris Broad has revealed that he was once told to go easy on India regarding a delay penalty.
Broad, who has officiated 622 international men’s matches across various formats, shared the revelation in an interview with The Telegraphand called it a striking example of India’s influence on the game.
The former England cricketer made no specific mention of the match, in which India were about four overs behind schedule and on the verge of punishment, but he received a phone call and was told to show leniency towards the team.
“India were three, four overs down at the end of a match, so it was a penalty. I got a phone call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time, because it’s India’. And it’s like, OK. So we had to find some time to get it below the threshold,” Broad said.
“The next game the same thing happened. Him.” [Sourav Ganguly] I didn’t listen to the rush so I called and said, ‘What do you want me to do now?’ and I was told ‘just do it,'” he added.
Broad, who was an ICC match referee until February 2024, further shared that he was “very happy to continue” but his contract was not renewed by the apex body.
“I was very happy to continue,” Broad noted. “But for 20 years, I dodged a lot of bullets, both politically and physically. When I look back, I think, ‘You know, 20 years is a pretty long time to be doing that job,'” Broad continued.
The former umpire then claimed that management became ‘a lot weaker’ against India’s financial clout following the departure of former South African cricketer Vince van der Bijl as ICC umpiring manager.
“I think we were supported by Vince van der Bijl (ICC umpiring manager) while he was in this position because he had a cricketing background, but once he left the management became a lot weaker. India got all the money and now they have taken over the ICC, so in many ways,” he claimed.
“I’m glad I’m gone because it’s a much more political position now than ever before,” Broad concluded.
