Former ICC match referee Chris Broad has revealed that he was once instructed not to penalise India for a slow over rate, despite clear grounds for punishment. Broad, the father of former England fast bowler Stuart Broad, made the revelation during an interview with The Telegraph.
While he did not specify when or during which match the incident took place, Broad said he was told to “show leniency” because the team in question was India.
“India were three, four overs down at the end of a game so it constituted a fine,” Broad told The Telegraph. “I got a phone call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time because it’s India’. And it’s like, right, OK. So we had to find some time, brought it down below the threshold.”
He added that a similar situation occurred in the very next match. “The very next game, exactly the same thing happened. He [Sourav Ganguly] didn’t listen to any of the hurry-ups, and so I phoned and said, ‘What do you want me to do now?’ and I was told, ‘Just do him.’ So there were politics involved, right from the start. A lot of the guys now are either politically more savvy or just keeping their head below the parapet. I don’t know,” Broad said.
Broad served as an ICC match referee from 2003 until February 2023, overseeing 622 international matches including 123 Tests, 361 ODIs and 138 T20Is. Despite his long and decorated tenure, he expressed disappointment that his contract was not renewed. “I was very happy to carry on,” he said.
He also spoke about the growing influence of India in world cricket, suggesting that the ICC’s independence has weakened over the years. “I think we were supported by Vince van der Bijl (ICC umpires manager) while he was in position because he came from a cricketing background but, once he left, the management became a lot weaker. India got all the money and have now taken over the ICC. So in many ways, I’m pleased I’m not around because it’s a much more political position now than it ever has been,” Broad explained.
