Umpires get their eyes in

It's not only the players who need nets before matches; umpires need to get their "eye in" too.

The ICC umpires' team in Jaipur came out in full strength, wearing the ICC uniform, during the Indian team's practice session on Saturday. Only, instead of cricket gear, Simon Taufel, Billy Bowden, Steve Bucknor and Daryl Harper carried a rugby, or Australian Rules football with them.

"Like the players come out and play in the nets to get used to the conditions, so do we," said Harper. "We have to know where the bowler's foot is landing, how the ball is playing. If you go during the match cold it would be difficult to pay attention at where the bowler's finishing his run-up and to a close lbw appeal immediately after."

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New Zealand's Bowden was entertaining as ever, going down dramatically on his knees for a catch, while Bucknor, a soccer referee and veteran cricket umpire, stayed away from the game.

"The weather is not a problem for me," smiled the Jamaican, who is one of the most hated people in India for his propensity to give decisions against their team. "One billion people stay in this heat and they are happy. Actually one billion plus one, I'm here. So it's okay for me."

Though the umpires enjoyed themselves and animatedly posed for photographs, they were not ready to talk about the recent controversies around umpiring.

When the Darrell Hair subject was broached, Harper took off his hat hurriedly, saying, "This is Daryl No-Hair"!

"There are ten umpires on the elite panel. Hair and Billy Doctrove did not come for the Champions Trophy because the ICC decided they wanted only eight of us here," explained Harper, on the non-inclusion of the two umpires.

The ICC had cited high security risk as the reason to keep Hair out of the tournament.