Got a call saying 'be lenient'. But Ganguly didn't listen: Ex-ICC match referee Stuart Broad alleges India were favoured

Although he did not recall which particular game it was, or who India's opponent were in that match, speaking to The Telegraph, Broad revealed that he had received the phone call during the game, when the Men in Blue were three or four overs behind the required over-rate. "India were three, four overs down at the end of a game so it constituted a fine," said Broad. "I got a phone call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time because it’s India’. And it’s like, right, OK. So we had to find some time, brought it down below the threshold."

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The former England opener added that India repeated the same mistake in the next game, and despite his warnings, then-captain Sourav Ganguly ignored them, forcing him to enforce the rules. Broad said the incident highlighted how political influence sometimes affected decisions on the field.

"The very next game, exactly the same thing happened. He [Sourav Ganguly] didn’t listen to any of the hurry-ups, and so I phoned and said, ‘What do you want me to do now?’ and I was told, ‘Just do him. ’ So there were politics involved, right from the start. A lot of the guys now are either politically more savvy or just keeping the head below the parapet. I don’t know," Broad added.

Broad, who oversaw 123 Tests in his career as an ICC referee, the last being in Colombo in February 2024, also said that his job as a match official has become highly political, partly due to India’s growing influence, and it’s no longer as straightforward as it used to be.

“I think we were supported by Vince van der Bijl (ICC umpires manager) while he was in position because he came from a cricketing background but, once he left, the management became a lot weaker. India got all the money and have now taken over the ICC so in many ways. I’m pleased I’m not around because it’s a much more political position now than it ever has been," he said.

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