Will BCCI Make Vineet Kulkarni A Scapegoat for Their Error?
BCCI hasn't conducted an umpire's assessment for almost two years thereby allowing Maharashtra umpire Vineet Kulkarni to stay as India's No. 1 umpire for almost two years.
The heat may be on umpire Vineet Kulkarni due to his poor decision in the ongoing series against South Africa, but it looks like he is not at fault entirely. (Dhoni's Knock and an Umpiring Blunder: Five Moments That Won India the Indore ODI)
A loophole in BCCI's working procedure has allowed the Maharashtra umpire Vineet Kulkarni to remain as India's number one match official for more than two years now. (Indian Team Manager Vinod Phadke Fined for Inappropriate Comments Against Umpire Vineet Kulkarni)
"There has been no BCCI umpires' sub-committee's assessment meeting for the last two years. Kulkarni is getting assignments on the basis of his ranking points of 2013. After that for two years, there has not been fresh evaluation. The list has not been updated," a BCCI source said.
Kulkarni, who has given a few debatable decisions during the ongoing India versus South Africa series, had Indian team manager Vinod Phadke openly criticising his performance. Even skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was critical of the poor decisions during the first Twenty20 game against South Africa in Dharamsala. During the ODI series, Kulkarni's poor decision cost Farhaan Behardien his wicket after he was adjudged caught behind off Harbhajan Singh's bowling.
As Kulkarni awaits his future, the official informed that it will depend on Match Referee Chris Broad's assessment.
"It will be Broad's assessment that will decide his future. Plus, the ICC's own video analysis team will analyse each and every contentious decision. There are three columns that match referees need to tick --Â Correct decision, error and inconclusive. If Broad ticks inconclusive column, Kulkarni might get a reprieve. Or else it will be ICC Umpires committee's prerogative," the source said.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has started a debriefing session of match referees and umpires during the current season of the Ranji Trophy.
"Actually it has been decided that at the end of the match, the two on-field umpire and TV umpires will sit with match referee and the match will be dissected. This will enable the umpire to get a first-hand report of his performance from the match referee," the source said.