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Boundary Assessment of Umpires
In order to maintain our required on-field standards and, indeed, improve upon them, the ICC Europe will use Boundary Assessments to monitor the performances of all its Panel Umpires. Wherever possible all umpires at all ICC European events will be assessed and these assessments will be entered onto the database for future reference. They will be used as documentary evidence of the umpire's abilities and may be forwarded to the ICC if requested. They will also be used to help determine any future movements either upwards or downwards within the ICC European Umpire Panels. The whole idea of the assessment is to improve the umpire's performance - it should never be looked at as a means to criticise without offering help and a chance to show that the umpire has learned from the experience. Marking system The Boundary Assessment Form is designed so that the Assessor makes comments on certain aspects of the umpire's performance. There is no marking system as such, and there is no pass or fail criteria. There are 9 disciplines that need to be assessed and these are listed on the Form. Under each main heading are some bullet points that help the Assessor to know what areas to be looking at. Teamwork It is important that the umpire has good rapport with his colleague and scorers. He needs to demonstrate a willingness and ability to work as a member of a team. Time-keeping, positioning and movement The umpire must be punctual at all times and not allow the sessions of play to start late. He must also be quick to move into position when on the field and be in excellent positions to judge runs etc. Dealing with the players At this level the umpire must be able to deal, effectively, with players of all types - the well behaved: the not so well behaved: and the downright unruly. He must be able to communicate with all of them so that the game runs smoothly. Most of all he must gain their respect - once he has this then he is well on the way to becoming an effective arbiter. Body language How the umpire goes about dealing with players and the way he conducts himself says a lot about him as a person and as an umpire. Good body language is key to achieving this. Knowledge of Championship Regulations It goes without saying that the umpire must fully understand the Competition Regulations. Anything less than full knowledge, and good application, of these Regulations is not really acceptable - at this level. Decisions This is the most contentious area and one that will probably create some debate. Whilst it is fully appreciated that no one can judge, fully, how good or bad a decision is from the boundary there has to be someway/someone who gives a second opinion on the umpire's decisions. To allow an umpire to continue, often unaware, in giving poor decisions cannot be allowed. The Assessor should be able to talk through every decision with the umpire and give him guidance for the future. The Assessor will never say that an LBW decision was incorrect, but may talk the umpire through it pointing out where and why players where aggrieved by it. During that conversation something may come to light about the umpire's technique in judgement that will help him in the future. The same applies to all the other decisions listed on the form. The Assessor must not shirk from dealing with this area since, at the end of the day, the player's perception of how good or bad the umpire is, will be based on his decision making abilities. A hard fact of life, but a true one. Match conditions Whist not directly the fault of the umpire the conditions in which the match was played will be extremely important when assessing him. A match played under difficult weather conditions will test the umpire to the full and this must be reflected in the assessment. It is relatively easy to umpire a match where the sun shines all day but not so easy when play is constantly interrupted by bad weather. A full picture of the conditions will help the Assessor give a full picture of the umpire's ability. Overall opinion of umpire This is where the Assessor has to make his overall opinion felt. What is needed here is an opinion as to whether or not the umpire is suitable for this level of cricket: is he ready to go further: does he need more experience within this level? Does the umpire need more training in any areas. Although 4 areas are listed they are not to be considered as the only 4 that are applicable. If there are any other areas of concern then they should be noted. It has to be said that if the umpire shows any lack of knowledge of the Laws of the game then he should not be officiating at this level. When acting as 3rd Umpire At some ICC European Championships we use 3rd Umpires and this is an extremely important role and the umpire who is appointed to this role must realise its importance and undertake the job as keenly as if he were the on-field umpire. Completed forms should be signed by both the Assessor and the Umpire and forwarded to the ICC Europe Office. The ICC Europe Office will transfer the Assessor's comments onto an Excel Spreadsheet and send a copy to the Umpire concerned. All ICC Europe Assessors are trained in this process and are highly experienced umpires in their own right. |