I don’t see problem if Dad’s the ref

THIS situation has led to the prospect of my dad Chris being match referee in England’s Test series versus West Indies and Pakistan this summer, and some people have questioned whether this is appropriate.

Sure, if he was an umpire I could understand that because he could have a subconscious influence on decisions that are made on the field.

No offence to him here but he sits in an office and if I, or anyone else, breaks the code of conduct he simply looks up the regulations in a handbook and determines the appropriate sanction from the relevant section. There is no emotion in a match referee’s job. And there is likely to be no contact between us.

If I was to be caught swearing on camera — like I was at Faf du Plessis in Johannesburg in January — there’s no haggling over the punishment. It’s not as if I can go into a room and barter to only pay 12 per cent of a 15 per cent match fee fine. Immediately after that particular game, for example, I went into the match referee’s office with the two umpires, and Bruce Oxenford, who was third umpire. I was told they were going to sanction me for what I said at the time.

I told them I couldn’t remember what I’d said. But Bruce, as TV umpire, had heard it and had an audio clip. It was as clear as day. Faf was having a go at Sam Curran and I stepped in. I couldn’t argue against that. I was being reprimanded with a fine and one demerit point because I’d sworn on television. Pleading not guilty in that kind of situation would result in the punishment increasing. In the unlikely scenario that I was required for a code of conduct hearing, it could be carried out with another match referee remotely.

From experience, and I’ve played 138 Tests, you only see a match ref if you’re in trouble. Often they are sat in a different building. You only tend to meet at breakfast in the hotel or on the outfield before the start of play.

From a selfish point of view, I’d love the chance to be able to have a coffee and catch-up with dad in a bio-secure environment.

There have been many times over the years where I’ve only bumped into him for a few minutes in Dubai airport when our flights have crossed.