Umpires 'too slow' for cricket at 65, says ECB

Cricket umpires should be forced to retire at the age of 65 because their reactions become too slow for the game, the sport’s governing body has stated.

The man in charge of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s employment of match officials said it was right to dismiss two long-standing umpires, under a rule that stops them working beyond the male age of retirement.

Peter Willey, 65, and 64-year-old George Sharp, who together have 45 years of first-class umpiring experience between them, have taken the ECB to an employment tribunal, claiming unfair dismissal and age discrimination.

But the ECB’s umpires manager, Chris Kelly told the Central London Employment Tribunal, on Tuesday, that the board was perfectly justified in ending the men’s umpiring careers at the age of 65.

He said they would otherwise have begun to find it difficult to react quickly enough to the professional game and would have started experiencing difficulties in standing for long periods of time.

did they stop seeing the ball?

should there be an age limit?