LONDON, (Reuters) – English umpire Mark Benson has said he withdrew from officiating in the second Australia v West Indies test due to ill-health, not because of frustration over the referral system.
Benson, 51, stood for the first day’s action in Adelaide last week before pulling out and returning to the U.K.
“I would like to clarify that I have not resigned as an elite panel umpire,” Benson said yesterday in a statement released through the International Cricket Council.
“I had withdrawn after the first day’s play as I felt that, due to my general health, I was not up to the task and it was in the best interests of the game, the ICC and myself that I step down and hand over to my colleague Asad Rauf.”
Benson said he was due to undergo medical assessments before discussing his future as an ICC elite umpire.
“I would also like to state clearly that my withdrawal had nothing whatsoever to do with the decision review system,” Benson said. “I remain a proponent of the use of technology as it helps the reduction of the obvious umpiring errors. The media speculation about the so-called disagreement in the umpires’ room is unfounded and totally untrue.”
Rauf, in his role as third umpire, overruled Benson after he had given West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out.
