Test cricket will see the return of neutral umpires as countries have started to relax the travel restrictions that were imposed with the onset of Covid-19 pandemic from 2020.
According to International Cricket Council (ICC), ODIs and T20Is will be officiated by the home umpires.
The decision was made in an ICC Board meeting held in Dubai on April 10, where a number of matters were discussed, including PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja’s proposal of hosting a four-nation series.
Addressing the umpires’ situation, the ICC remarked that the performance of the home umpires remained “strong” and encouraging.
The ICC statement read: “The CEC was updated on the use of home umpires from July 2020 to February 2022 due to Covid-19 […] The committee acknowledged that the performance of home umpires was strong and had not affected games. The use of home umpires had also led to 12 members of the international panel of umpires making their Test match debut.”
The decision to retain home umpires for the limited-overs cricket is backed heavily by their performances throughout the series during the pandemic.
