DUBAI, Dec 17: The International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat has told Test match referees and umpires to come down hard on slow over-rates and verbal abuse.Lorgat said on Tuesday he had written to all match referees and umpires on the elite panel, who between them are responsible for controlling nearly all Tests, asking them to be “assertive and proactive” in dealing with the problem areas.

He also stressed the key role of captains in ensuring the game was played in the correct spirit and at the right pace.

The South African, in a statement issued from the ICC’s Dubai headquarters, said he wanted to see a continuation of the “feel-good factor” he’d witnessed at first hand in Chennai where India beat England by six wickets in the first Test on Monday.That match, played only after England returned to India following last month’s terror attacks in Mumbai, was widely hailed as a triumph for cricket.

“After the recent Test match in Chennai there is a real feel-good factor about the game, and rightly so.

“It’s great that the game is in the news for all the right reasons and I want that to carry on.

“That is why I have written to all of the ICC match referees and umpires urging them to be assertive and proactive in dealing with slow over-rates and verbal abuse.”

Australia captain Ricky Ponting was widely criticised for his use of part-time bowlers Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke in a bid to make-up for a slow over-rate during a key stage of last month’s fourth Test against India in Nagpur, where a 172-run defeat saw the tourists lose the series 2-0.

But Australia still ended up being two overs short of the required over-rate target and, as per ICC’s existing regulations, Australia were fined five percent of their match fee for every over not bowled in the required time with Ponting, as captain, fined double in a binding ruling.

Slow over rates have also been blamed, in part, for the recent refusal of British terrestrial broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel Four to enter bids to show England home Tests because the lack of certainty regarding playing hours causes too many knock-on problems with the rest of their schedules.

However, at present, offending sides do not suffer a direct penalty during the match — such as the deduction of runs or wickets — and many critics argue that current penalties are not tough enough to deal with a widespread problem.—AFP