In the 1980s, then Pakistan cricket captain, later Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan demanded something revolutionary. Khan called for ‘neutral umpires’. Pakistan was a mighty team and regularly won matches at home, but its victories were often coloured by allegations of biased umpiring.
Imran Khan’s decision on neutral umpires came as a breath of fresh air. It immediately lifted Pakistan’s status in the world of cricket. New umpires from different countries flew in to judge Pakistan’s game. Now, every time the team triumphed it was because it had won in a fair fight.