The T20I series might have ended 4-1 in favor of the hosts with the controversy at the end regarding concussion substitute continuing to be widely debated. As much as that went on in the 5th T20I on Sunday, former players from England were talking about this while some experts on Indian cricket joined the conversation as well. England captain Jos Buttler made light of the controversy by describing his team’s 4 substitutes in the final match as ‘Impact Subs’.
Now, the ICC match referee Chris Broad has added his tuppence with some fiery words on the subject. In a bold post on X (formerly Twitter), Broad expressed his concern, stating that the ICC’s decision to allow non-neutral match officials was a step back to the “bad old days” of “bias and corruption.” He further went on to side with former England captain Kevin Pietersen’s statement that Harshit Rana wasn’t a “like-for-like” replacement for Shivam Dube.
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“Independent match officials were brought in to stop situations like this! Why are the ICC returning to the ‘bad old days’ of bias and corruption?,” Chris Broad wrote on X.
Absolutely agree. How can an Indian Match Referee get away with allowing this Indian replacement? Match officials should be independent to omit bias!
— Chris Broad (@ChrisBroad3) February 1, 2025
“Absolutely agree,” he said in reaction to Pietersen’s comment. “How can an Indian Match Referee get away with allowing this Indian replacement? Match officials should be independent to omit bias! (sic).” Chris Broad agreed with Kevin Pietersen’s remarks
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Interestingly, Chris Broad himself officiated in an England vs Pakistan match last May at the Oval, which adds an intriguing layer to his remarks. With over 620 international games under his belt, Broad is among the most experienced ICC officials, ranking third in the list of those with the most match officiating assignments.
