BCCI to complain against umpiring

Incensed by the horrendous umpiring decisions in the second Test against Australia, the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sunday decided to lodge an official complain with the International Cricket Council.

The Indian team management had initially decided not to lodge a formal protest after the umpiring blunders on the opening day but BCCI president Sharad Pawar has now directed his officials to go ahead with an official complain.

• Debate: Should umpires be penalised?

"BCCI president Sharad Pawar has directed officials to lodge a official complain against the umpiring in the Sydney Test. The letter to the ICC will be sent today," BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said.

"The quality of umpiring has been unacceptable. We do not consider it to be neutral," Shukla said.

The two umpires -- Steve Bucknor of West Indies and Mark Benson of England -- have given a number of atrocious decisions, most of which have gone against the Indians.

"It is quite evident on television that the umpiring has been poor. Even Sunil Gavaskar who is a member of the ICC's technical committee has expressed his outrage," Shukla said.

"Keeping all this in mind, the BCCI has decided to go ahead and file a complain," he added.

Australia benefited from Benson and Bucknor's generosity throughout the match.

On the first day, India had the hosts on the mat at 134 for six but Andrew Symonds was given not one but two reprieves -- once by Bucknor and another by third umpire Bruce Oxenford -- before he went on to score an unbeaten 162 to take Australia out of trouble.

Infact, it would not be an overstatement to say that the umpires cost India the chance to level the series 1-1.

Benson's generosity continued after he ruled in Mike Hussey's favour even after the batsman had edged RP Singh to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the second innings.

Hussey, who was then on 45, made the most of the opportunity and went on to make an unbeaten 145 to swell Australia's lead.

In India's second innings, the blunders continued to flow. Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, who looked quite comfortable in the middle as India tried to save the match, once again got the rough end of the stick. While Dravid was given caught behind even though he didn't get an edge, Ganguly was given out to a slip catch by Michael Clarke when it looked that the fielder had grassed the ball.