(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Former ICC Match Referee Chris Broad Reveals Pressure to Favor India in Match Decisions
Oct 28, 2025
Former ICC match referee Chris Broad has made striking revelations about external pressure within international cricket, claiming that he was once urged to show leniency toward the Indian cricket team during an international match.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Broad said he received a phone call advising him to “be lenient” to help India avoid an over-rate penalty.
“India were three or four overs down at the end of a game, so it constituted a fine,” Broad recalled. “I got a phone call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time because it’s India.’ So we had to find some time and bring it down below the threshold.”
He added that a similar situation took place in the next match, involving then-captain Sourav Ganguly, when he was again advised on how to proceed.
Broad also expressed concern about what he described as the increasing politicization of the ICC, saying that the organization’s management had weakened over time.
“Once Vince van der Bijl [former ICC umpires manager] left, the management became weaker. India has gained more influence through its financial power. I’m glad I’m not part of it anymore — it’s far more political now than it ever was.”
Chris Broad served as an ICC match referee from 2003 to 2024, overseeing more than 620 international matches across all formats. Despite his long tenure, he revealed that his contract was not renewed last year, even though he wanted to continue.
“I always tried to do what was right,” he said. “But in certain places, right and wrong can be far apart. Lasting 20 years in that environment was no small task.”
In recent years, the ICC has faced scrutiny from fans and analysts who believe that administrative and scheduling decisions often appear to favor certain teams. Critics have called for greater transparency and neutrality in the decision-making process to restore confidence in international cricket’s governing body.
Broad’s comments have once again sparked debate within the global cricket community, prompting renewed discussions about fairness, governance, and accountability at the highest levels of the sport.
