India's one-off WTC Test vs England to have neutral umpires? Here's ICC's latest decision

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) recent board meeting saw the cricket's governing body taking a huge decision relating to the umpires for the World Test Championship (WTC) matches. Following the meeting, it was decided that there will be at least one neutral umpire on the pitch.

The ICC decided to bring back the neutral umpire system as the Covid restrictions have been eased. Earlier due to the Covid-enforced policy, home umpires were given the chance to officiate international matches.

India vs England Test: ICC brings back neutral umpires

In June 2020, the ICC decided to have non-neutral match officials for bilateral series due to the logistical challenges posed by the pandemic. However, with the COVID restriction easing, the decision to go back to having a neutral umpire means that India vs England Test in July (which is part of the World Test Championship), will have a neutral official on the pitch. Last year, the last match of India vs England Test series was called off due to COVID issues.

The other on-field umpire, as well as the fourth official, will continue to be home-based. Besides the second on-field umpire, the TV umpire will also be neutral.

The statement released by ICC read, "The CEC were updated on the use of home umpires from July 2020 to February 2022 due to COVID. 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 umpires making their Test match debut".

It further said,"In line with a previous recommendation from the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee, the CEC agreed that more neutral match officials should be utilised as travel restrictions are lifted while building on the success of the use of home umpires".

All you need to know about Men's and Women's T20 World Cup

Besides the decision to bring back neutral umpire, the ICC also had a discussion over the qualification process for Men's and Women's T20 World Cup. As per the release, 12 teams will qualify automatically for the 2024 men's T20 World Cup, including co-hosts West Indies and the USA, making it a 20-team event. 

The top eight teams at this year's T20 World Cup in Australia along with the two co-hosts as well as the next two top-ranked teams as of November 14, 2022, will gain automatic qualification to the event. The eight remaining slots will be filled via qualifier tournaments.

Similarly, for the Women's T20 World Cup, the top six teams at next year's women's T20 World Cup will earn automatic qualification for the 2024 edition along with the yet-to-be-determined host nation and the next highest-ranked team. The two remaining teams in the 10-team event will come from a qualifier tournament.