Melbourne, Dec 7 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday refuted reports that England umpire Mark Benson, who flew back home midway the second Test between Australia and Pakistan, was genuinely ill and not exasperated at Test cricket’s torturous new decision referral system.
Reports have suggested that Benson was upset by the system since some of his decisions were over-ruled by the new system and cited health problems to leave the Test midway. The British media also reported that Benson retired immediately to protest against the system.

But ICC match referee Chris Broad insisted it was Benson’s health, following an apparent recurrence of problems that also caused him to withdrawal from Australia’s recent limited overs tour of India due to illness.

“Mark spoke to me on the second morning and said that he was feeling unwell. I was in India with him as well where he was unwell and thought it might well be another situation like we were in in India,” Broad was quoted as saying by The Australian.

“We chatted about it and he said he didn’t feel as though he could go on the field again, so basically we decided to leave him back at the hotel, I phoned Dubai and they decided that if it was a re-occurrence of the high blood pressure or stomach problems he had in India, that he needs to get it sorted out,” he added.

Broad said that Benson’s decision to leave the country had nothing to do with the review system.

“No, absolutely not, no truth in that at all. In fact there’s probably less pressure on the umpires now with the review system than there was beforehand, because umpires would stand out there in the middle and the captain would strut around, the fielders would strut around not really knowing the result of it, with the review system they know the result straight away,” he said.