• Cricket

Under-fire umpire on the verge of quitting

ESPN staff
August 13, 2013
Tony Hill at the centre of attention during the Durham Test © Getty Images
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Tony Hill, the umpire who had a string of on-field decisions overturned on review during the Durham Test, is considering quitting the international panel according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

Hill's contract with the International Cricket Council is up for renewal next year - by which time he will be 63 - but sources have told the paper he will stand down anyway.

An ICC spokesman said it had no knowledge of Hill's intentions and that all decisions on new contracts were made after an annual appraisal.

Hill has been singled out for scrutiny after a string of errors which have been highlighted by the Decision Review System, the nadir coming on Saturday morning at Riverside when three of his decisions were reversed.

The third ended the Australian innings when he gave Ryan Harris not out after a shout for lbw, but as soon as the first replay was shown on the big screen Harris started walking off as did the England players. Hill was left alone in the middle to signal to an almost empty field the reversal.

The ICC's elite panel has come under scrutiny this summer with eight of the 12 umpires unable to officiate because they come from either England or Australia.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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