Off the ball

Preventing commentators from criticising referees is not cricket

The recent controversy between Michael Holding and World Cup broadcaster Sunset & Vine has highlighted an issue that the International Cricket Council (ICC) urgently needs to address. Earlier this week Mr Holding had sharply criticised the umpiring in a match between the West Indies and Australia, describing as “atrocious” decisions against two West Indian batsmen. His comments attracted a cautionary letter from the production head of Sunset & Vine to the effect that the broadcaster’s duty is “not to judge and highlight mistakes”. This is a strange objection: A commentator’s job is to bring his or her expertise to an