Umpires on sliding scale (14 Aug 1998)

14 August 1998

Umpires on sliding scale

By Peter Deeley

THE International Cricket Council have defended their policy of using national pay scales for their umpires panel.

The ICC yesterday refuted claims that Pakistan umpire Javed Akhtar received only £158 for officiating in the Headingley Test as figures were released showing he actually picked up £662.

Akhtar's payment was made up of a fee of 12,000 Pakistani rupees (£162) from his national board together with a maximum ICC Test fee of £500. He also received a separate £600 payment to cover out-of-pocket expenses which works out at £50 a day during his time in England.

Akhtar, who was involved in several controversial decisions during the final England-South Africa Test, is "keeping out of the debate" raging over his fee.

The umpire is on holiday staying with friends before he returns home. A contact said: "He feels he has been pilloried and does not want to make any comment."

Umpires are paid approximately the same as Test players, according to the country they represent. While an England player gets a basic fee of something over £3,200 for an appearance, the South Africans earn just over £1,000 a match. A Pakistan cricketer would get only a fraction of these amounts.

Barrie Leadbeater, chairman of the English Umpires' Association - who is the third official for the Sri Lanka-South Africa one-day international at Nottingham today - said: "We know overseas umpires don't earn as much as our own but it is up to the respective boards in their own countries to sort it out.

"The ICC must be happy with the situation and so are the overseas umpires themselves. Otherwise they wouldn't accept the payments given them.

"You must take into account the big differences in standards of living. While the money earned by Pakistan umpires may not seem high to us, it may represent a substantial wage to them."

Zimbabwean match referee Ahmed Ebrahim is not allowed to make direct comments on umpiring matters but said that in general he "sympathised" with the intense pressure officials were experiencing.

"I think we must not forget how important a phrase that old cliche 'it's not cricket' is for us all and react accordingly," he said.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)

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