Erasmus, Dharmasena to umpire Ashes Test

The umpires responsible for two of the worst DRS gaffes of the 2013 Ashes will be in control of next week’s first Test.

Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus will be standing in the middle of Sophia Gardens on Wednesday, when the long-awaited series finally begins in Cardiff.

The Decision Review System was widely criticised during Australia’s most recent tour of England in 2013.

It wasn’t so much the technology, rather the way it was interpreted.

Much of the visitors’ frustration came when Dharmasena endorsed Tony Hill’s decision to give Usman Khawaja out caught behind from Graeme Swann’s off-spin at Old Trafford.

Evidence suggested Hill’s verdict should have instead been reversed.

England were likewise stroppy when Erasmus overruled the original not-out decision of Aleem Dar in Nottingham when Jonathan Trott got an inside edge but was given out lbw on review.

Officials from both camps met separately with ICC general manager of cricket Geoff Allardice during that series, airing their grievances.

The majority of umpires on the ICC’s elite panel hail from either Australia or England, meaning there is a smaller pool to pick from for the Ashes.

New Zealand’s Chris Gaffaney is due to act as third umpire in the opening two matches of the Ashes, before standing in the middle during the third Test in Birmingham.

Gaffaney feels his experience as a policeman will stand him in good stead should there be any blow-ups between England and Australia.

“The skills picked up in police work correlate to umpiring, it helps in terms of managing the game,” he told the ICC’s website.

“It can get heated, it’s just like going to a domestic on a police job.

“You need to know when to listen, when to speak and when to watch them and let them play.

“In terms of managing the game it can be a challenge. They can get very competitive and it can get heated.

“I’m very fortunate to have had that training in the police which I can take to umpiring.”

ASHES UMPIRES

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