BCCI to lodge complaint against umpiring

Incensed by the horrendous umpiring decisions in the second cricket Test against Australia, the Cricket Board today decided to lodge an official complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The Indian team management had initially decided not to lodge a formal protest after the umpiring blunders on the opening day but the BCCI President Sharad Pawar has now directed its officials to go ahead with an official complaint.

"BCCI President Sharad Pawar has directed officials to lodge a official complain against the umpiring in the Sydney Test. The letter to the ICC will be sent today," BCCI vice president Rajiv Shukla told PTI.

"The quality of umpiring has been so horrible that it is unacceptable. We do not consider it to be neutral," Shukla said.

The two umpires - Steve Bucknor of West Indies and Mark Benson of England - have given a number of atrocious decisions, most of which have gone against the Indians.

"It is quite evident on television that the umpiring has been poor. Even Sunil Gavaskar who is a member of the ICC's technical committee has expressed his outrage," Shukla said.

"Keeping all this in mind, the BCCI has decided to go ahead and file a complaint," he added.