West Indies Cricket Umpires Association (WICUA) Taps USACUA Umpires As External Examiners for 2008 Oral Examinations

Dec. 2nd, 2008
United States of America Cricket Umpires Association (USACUA) umpires Mohamed Baksh and Fitzroy Hayles have been designated as External Umpires for the upcoming West Indies Cricket Umpires Association (WICUA) Oral Examination scheduled for Sunday December 7, 2008. Mohammed Baksh will be the external examiner in Guyana, and Fitzroy Hayles will do similar duties in neighboring Canada.

Umpires Fitzroy Hayles and Mohamed Baksh.

As customary, the Oral Examination is the final stage in the qualification of umpires in the certification of umpires by the WICUA. The West Indies Cricket Board was entrusted to provide guidance to the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), and the WICUA as the institution entrusted to provide training and certification of umpires for those countries that comprise the WICB, as well as those that fall under the jurisdiction of the WICB, and know as the ICC Americas Region including Canada, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, which are fully aligned with the WICUA, and like the USACUA, have held FULL member status within this prestigious body.

Umpires Baksh and Hayles are senior members of the United States of America Cricket Umpires Association and have been intimately involved with training and certification of umpires within the United States of America. Mohammed Baksh is a Hall of Fame umpire, who is widely respected as one of the most qualified instructors and is well versed in the Laws of Cricket. He is cognizant of all the changes that have taken place with the Laws of Cricket. Mr. Hayles, like Mr. Baksh, is an educator and is also very familiar with the laws of cricket. He has provided guidance to USACA, and other tournament committees, on changes in regulations and updates in playing conditions. In effect Mr. Baksh is currently the Chairman of Training and examination for the USACUA and Mr. Hayles is the Vice President of the Association and coordinates all functions that pertain to training and assignment of umpires through the USACUA.

Mr. Baksh and Mr. Hayles, along with other members of USACUA’s Training and Examination Committee, through the WICUA have conducted training in the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington, Florida and Georgia. Requests for training and certification of umpires have been received from Chicago, Texas, Minnesota, California and regions of Canada.

The Oral Examination is the second phase in the final assessment of the qualifying stage of umpires within all territories of the world. The first stage involves the on-field assessment of umpires and involves the performing visual (observation) analyses of umpires as they perform their duties during matches. Mr. Hayles and Mr. Baksh are also WICUA qualified umpires’ assessors and do regular match assessments for WICUA certification.