India 'not keen' on neutral umpires for ODIs

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has "reluctantly" dropped the idea of having only neutral umpires to supervise the forthcoming one-day series against India, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was not "serious" on the issue.

A senior official of the PCB told local daily "The News" that Pakistan had to dispense with the idea (of neutral umpires) after the BCCI -- despite several reminders -- didn't respond at all.

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"Apparently, the Indians didn't take it seriously because they never bothered to get back to us on this issue at all. Feeling they were not interested we also dropped the idea because you can't have neutral umpires in ODIs without the consent of the touring team," the PCB was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

He said the PCB had now no option but to ask the International Cricket Council to appoint one umpire for the one-dayers from its elite panel while the board would nominate the other umpire from Pakistan.

The PCB went ahead with having neutral umpires for the one-dayers against England after getting a positive response from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

- UNI