Umpire Benson victim of Referral System pressure?

After asserting that Mark Benson left the Australia-West Indies Test series mid-way on purely health reasons, the ICC on Tuesday admitted that "pressure" played a part in influencing the English umpire's decision.

Speculation is on that Benson headed home as he got upset when one of his decisions was overruled through the newly-introduced Decision Referral System (DRS).

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle felt that the DRS system adversely affected them although Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara, after losing Test series to India, had said the DRS could have helped them in the rubber.

ICC's first explanation on Benson's exit was that he left due to health reasons but now its cricketer manager David Richardson maintains health was not the lone reason.

"What we can say without speaking to Mark himself is that he quit the Test for a combination of health and pressure problems," Richardson told Sky Sports.

"Coping with a very pressured job proved too much for him. (Whether or not he continues as an elite umpire) is up to him. We are only able to contract a certain number of umpires and only if they are up to the job," he said.

Benson is yet to speak on the issue but John Holder, the ICC umpires performance manager for Europe, feels the DRS system had increased pressure on officials.

"The reality is that now umpiring is so much more under the microscope. (Benson) has had a few health problems even before he got on to the international panel. Maybe this job is not cut out for him," Holder said.

The ICC official believes that from a psychological point of view it is difficult for officials to swallow overruling.

"Imagine how it is. You have made a decision in good faith and you are having it overthrown in front of millions of people worldwide. Some people might find that humiliating. Some umpires can give a decision, be told they have got it wrong, and get on with their lives. Others can't.

"The system is about eliminating mistakes, but if the umpire loses confidence when he is over-ruled then for that particular umpire it might have the opposite effect.

"It is my job to help restore that confidence," he said.