KOLKATA, March 20: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering eight-team format for the elite Champions Trophy, Ehsan Mani president ICC said on Sunday while dismissing reports that there was a threat to move next year’s event from India. “What we found in England was that by having a 12-team format, we diluted the quality of the game,” Mani, who was in Kolkata to honour 100-Test umpire Steve Bucknor, told journalists. With the tournament in India to have 12 teams, competitions beyond that could see fewer sides. “We plan to have the host nation and the five top countries on our ICC ranking list pre-qualify and other ranked countries play against each other to occupy the last two places. It will make the quality of game more interesting.”

Mani said that the perception that ICC planned to shift the Champions Trophy to another venue because of tax problems with the Indian government was wrong. “There is no threat. What we had asked the government here is to give us tax exemptions for the tournament, like every country does and they have promised to give the matter due consideration.”

The ICC does not pay taxes for its events and did not do so in South Africa for the 2003 World Cup and already has got exemptions from the West Indies for the next edition of the tournament in 2007. “Every international sport whether it is cricket or Formula One expects the same as we are asking from the Indian government.”

Mani also spoke about umpiring and umpires and said that ever since he took over the ICC, every decision of the umpire was analysed whether it was a “out or not out” verdict. “The umpires are sent back a CD and they meet with a high performance manager. We are conscious of what the players want because one decision in a match can turn it inside out.”

And a decision that could have proven costly for India in the second Test that ended on Sunday at the Eden Gardens was the controversial dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar who was adjudged caught behind by Bucknor in the second innings. Replays showed that there was no contact between ball and bat.

“It is only right that the players get the best possible umpires. It is a difficult job, they have to be in the field for five days at a stretch, sometime they have to do back to back Tests.”

Mani said that if two neutral umpires were introduced in One-day Internationals it would deprive home officials of getting exposure.

The ICC, meanwhile, is also considering making changes to One-day cricket. “There has been a lot of concern about the way it is played. Our cricket committee will be looking at it in the next meeting whether the fielding side should, in blocks of five overs, elect which of the 15 are beneficial to set the fielding restriction.”

Mani termed Twenty20 cricket as “just slog” and said that it was too soon to try it out. “Obviously we are keeping an eye on it. We have to go very carefully. Our lifeblood is the 50-over game; that is where we get all our money.”