Ex-International​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Chris Broad, in a shock expose, stated that there was an instance when he was requested to "be lenient" and not charge India with a penalty for their slow over-rate when he was officiating a match. Broad, while talking to The Telegraph, said that during the game in which India were short of the mandated over-rate, he got a call that asked him to ease his approach due to the "greatness of the team." ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ “India were three or four overs down at the end of a game, so it constituted a fine,” Broad recounted. “I got a phone call saying, ‘Be lenient, find some time because it’s India.’ So we had to find some time and bring it down below the threshold. The very next game, exactly the same thing happened. 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.’” Broad, who served as an ICC match referee from 2003 to 2023, oversaw 622 international matches, including 123 Tests, 361 ODIs, and 138 T20Is. The veteran official revealed that while he was willing to continue in the role, his contract was not renewed by the ICC last year. “I dodged a lot of bullets, politically and physically,” says Chris Broad Reflecting on his two-decade career, Broad said he felt he had navigated numerous political and physical challenges, including surviving the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lanka Test team in Lahore. “I look back and think, you know, 20 years is quite a long time to be doing that job. I’m pleased not to be travelling to certain parts of the world,” he said. “I’ve always believed in right and wrong, but in certain parts of the world, it’s like the River Ganges, right and wrong are so far apart with a lot of dirty water in between. To last 20 years in that politically active environment is a pretty good effort.” Chris Broad criticises ICC’s shift in power Broad also criticised the ICC’s current administration, saying the organisation has become “much more political” and dominated by India’s financial influence. “I think we were supported by Vince van der Bijl (ICC umpires manager) because he came from a cricketing background, but once he left, the management became a lot weaker,” Broad noted. India got all the money and has now taken over the ICC in many ways. I’m pleased I’m not around because it’s a much more political position now than it ever has been.” During the 2023 Ashes, Broad was also reportedly rebuked by the ICC for posting a meme on X (formerly Twitter) celebrating his son Stuart Broad’s repeated dismissals of David Warner.