The BCCI recently held a level-2 examination for the umpires in July in Ahmedabad. There were a total of 140 aspirants out of which only 3 could clear the Test. The selection of umpires was for women’s and junior matches which are categorized as Group D. It’s the first stage that leads toward umpiring in international games.
The test was 200 marks and 90 was the cut-off. The test had four segments, 100 marks for the written test, 35 marks for viva and video each, and 30 for the physical test. It would determine the fitness levels, of participants, since modern cricket requires them to be in the right physical health. The video test featured the match footage of the umpiring decisions.
“BCCI must restart educational programmes for budding umpires in each state association. In 2006, the BCCI had identified a group of retired first-class umpires and trained them to be educators. We used to depute two educators to each state unit, other than Mumbai, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu where regular umpire coaching happens,”- said former game development manager Ratnakar Shetty
The aspirants had faired well in the practical tests but couldn’t perform in the written test.
Some of the sample questions are:
Q – What will you do if the shadow of a pavilion, tree or fielder starts falling on the pitch and the batsman starts complaining?
Ans- The shadow of the pavilion or tree should be disregarded. Fielders should be asked to remain stationary, otherwise, the umpire should call a dead ball.
Q – You are satisfied that a player has a genuine injury on the index finger of his bowling hand and removing the tape will result in bleeding. Will you still ask him to remove the protective tape while bowling?
Ans- Bowler needs to remove the bandage if he wants to bowl.
Q – The striker hits a fair delivery, which lodges in the helmet of the short-leg fielder. Because of the impact, the helmet comes off the fielder’s head and the ball is still stuck in the helmet. The helmet falls…and the fielder catches it before it falls to the ground. On appeal, what is your decision?
Ans- The correct decision is “Not Out”.
The questions were of high standards to ensure that only the best candidates are selected. A BCCI official stated that the candidates were not up to the par who were listed by the state associations. The selectors were looking for candidates with more knowledge n the game.
The focus of the exam was not merely on the laws and bylaws but on the interpretation and implementation in a live game situation that tests practical reasoning. The exam wanted to raise the standard of the Indian umpires after there were regular complaints of the poor quality of decision-making in the domestic circuit.
