Former England cricketer and veteran ICC Match Referee Chris Broad has made a sensational revelation, claiming that he was once asked to “be lenient” towards the Indian cricket team after they fell behind on over-rate during an international fixture. Broad admitted that he complied with the request, but the same mistake was repeated by the team in their very next game — this time under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly.
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Stuart Broad shared, “India were three or four overs short at the end of a game, which should have led to a fine. I got a call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time because it’s India.’ So we adjusted things and brought it below the threshold.”
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However, he added that the leniency didn’t have the desired impact. “The very next game, it was the same situation. Ganguly ignored all the reminders to speed things up. When I asked what to do, I was told, ‘Just do him.’ That’s when I realized how much politics was involved in cricket, even back then.”
Between 2003 and February 2024, Stuart Broad officiated in an impressive 123 Tests, 361 ODIs, and 138 T20Is as an ICC Match Referee. Despite expressing his desire to continue, the ICC chose not to renew his contract earlier this year. Reflecting on his long career, Broad described it as a journey through a “politically active environment” and admitted that he’s relieved to step away from certain challenges that came with the job.
“I was very happy to carry on,” Stuart Broad said. “But for 20 years, I dodged plenty of bullets — politically and physically. Looking back, lasting two decades in that job feels like a good effort. I’m quite pleased not to be travelling to certain parts of the world anymore.”
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Broad also drew a sharp analogy, comparing moral contrasts in cricket administration to the River Ganges, saying, “In some parts of the world, right and wrong are miles apart, with a lot of dirty water flowing in between. For someone who’s always believed in doing the right thing, lasting 20 years in that environment is something I’m proud of.”
Broad also recalled surviving the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, an incident that deeply affected him. “Even today, a sudden loud bang makes me jump. That attack completely changed my outlook on safety and security in international cricket,” he said.
