Apparently conceding that umpiring blunders marred the Sydney Test, Australian captain Ricky Ponting has called for stretching ICC’s 10-member Elite Panel, saying some officials are making errors due to exhaustion.

“I’ve been talking to the ICC for some time about getting more umpires on the elite panel. We talk a lot as players about how much we’re playing. But the same applies to umpires,” Ponting said.

Revealing that English umpire Mark Benson, who stood in Sydney, had told him he had been on the road for four months, Ponting said, “I’m sure after four months he (Benson) thought he was as good as gold, but he wouldn’t know how tired he was until he gets a break.”

“Players notice even when they are five per cent off. It can be the difference between playing and nicking a shot, or hitting it cleanly. I’m sure it is the same for these guys.”