NOTTINGHAM, July 13: West Indies great Michael Holding has called for Stuart Broad to banned from the second Ashes Test at Lord’s after the England batsman refused to walk in the series opener

Broad, had made 37, with England then 297 for seven in their second innings on Friday’s third day at Trent Bridge, when he edged teenage debutant spinner Ashton Agar.

The ball clipped wicket-keeper Brad Haddin’s gloves and then flew to Australia captain Michael Clarke at first slip.

Australia appealed for the catch but leading Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar ruled in the batsman’s favour as Broad stayed put on his Nottinghamshire home ground.

The tourists couldn’t believe the verdict but ultimately, as they had already used up both their two permitted reviews in the innings, they were unable to challenge it by calling on the third umpire and had to accept Aleem’s decision.

Broad finished the day on 47 not out.

Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle said they were not feeling frustrated.

“You have to use referrals when you think you have a chance of taking wickets,” he said. “You can’t just keep them in your pocket in case you get one later in the game.”

Siddle was philosophical about the incident.

“At the end of the day it’s the umpire’s decision,” he said. “It’s hard out there for players and umpires. It is just part of the game and you can’t be blaming anyone. There wasn’t a big deal made of it by us.”

But Holding said the International Cricket Council (ICC) should view Broad’s decision not to walk — the practice whereby batsman give themselves out without waiting for the umpire’s decision — in the same light as when West Indies wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin falsely claimed a catch against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy match at The Oval in London last month.

Ramdin was banned for two one-day games by the match referee, who happened to be Broad’s father, Chris.

“What Stuart Broad did amounts to the same thing as Ramdin,” Holding told the Daily Mail. “He knew he had hit the ball. The ICC fined Ramdin and suspended him for ‘actions that were contrary to the spirit of the game’. What Stuart Broad did is contrary to the spirit of the game. He played the ball and stayed there.”

Maybe because cricket has tended to be a batsman’s game, not walking is seen by many within the sport as a lesser ‘offence’ than falsely claiming a catch.

The argument in support of this view likens the batsman to the accused man at a trial who is not obliged to incriminate himself before the judge, or umpire in a cricket context, passes sentence whereas the fielder who appeals for a catch when the ball has bounced is initiating a process based on deceit.

However it was an argument that cut little ice with former Test wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist who, unusually for an Australian, was a noted walker.

“Some people saying, you rely on the umpire. No you don’t, you rely on honesty,” Gilchrist tweeted, adding: “Disappointed by the Poms [English] today [Friday], if you’re out — you walk.”

But England batsman Kevin Pietersen insisted team-mate Broad had done nothing wrong, saying after Friday’s play: “Every single batsman who plays cricket, no matter who you play for, has the right to wait for the umpire’s decision.

“Aleem Dar is a fantastic umpire. We play hard and we play very, very fair and every single batsman has the right to wait for the umpire.”

The Broad incident raised concerns about relations between the teams for the remainder of the five-match series.

“I do hope this doesn’t set the tone for the rest of the series,” said BBC radio commentator Jonathan Agnew. “Looking at the replays Broad doesn’t look comfortable to me.

“He looks like a boy who has been sent into the corner in disgrace. There will be questions about how England play the game.”

Most commentators blamed Aleem’s poor decision, rather than levelling criticism at the England player.

“There is no debate, it’s quite simple,” former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott told the BBC. “The Australians I have played with and have watched, with the exception of [Adam] Gilchrist, believe in staying [at the crease] and it’s up to the umpire to give you out — there shouldn’t be a moral argument.

“They should be upset, disappointed and angered by the umpires,” Boycott added. “If they keep making poor decisions it’s up to the ICC to do something about it.”

Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath agreed.

“To me it has to be the umpire,” he said. “A player is allowed to stand his ground. If Australia had one appeal left Broad would have walked. The fact there was no referral left, he left it up to the umpire.”

Friday’s incident was not the first time a member of the Broad family had been involved in an umpiring controversy.

Chris Broad, then an England opening batsman, stood his ground for a minute after being given out caught behind by local umpire Shakeel Khan in the first Test against Pakistan at Lahore in 1987.

Eventually Graham Gooch, his partner in the middle and now England’s batting coach, persuaded him to walk off the field.—Agencies