PORT OF SPAIN (Trinidad), Nov 24: West Indies Cricket Board president Wes Hall has called for greater consistency by test umpires and match referees following the Mike Denness controversy.

“Anything that brings the game into disrepute should be discouraged and barred, but there must be consistency in treatment,” Hall said.

South Africa’s United Cricket Board, facing an Indian boycott, barred ICC-appointed match referee Mike Denness from standing in the third and final Test between the two countries after he imposed penalties on six Indian players, including Sachin Tendulkar.

The ICC responded by stripping the Centurion match, which began Friday, of Test status.

Hall raised the case of West Indies paceman Colin Stuart barred from bowling during the first innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka after he sent down two beamers in three balls.

Hall, a former Test great, said he was surprised that the umpires decided to suspend the bowler.

“Stuart was running around in the outfield when, unprepared and with no warm-up, he was suddenly called to complete an over. He bowled two full tosses which did not threaten the batsman...and he was banned from bowling again in the innings,” he said.

“Does the umpire have no discretion,?” he asked “There had been no confrontation, no animosity on the part of any of the players, the match had just started.

“Yet the umpire decided that Stuart should be banned for the innings. If the panel is consistent then there can be no dissatisfaction,” he said.—Reuters