The International Cricket Council has agreed to look at a request from Pakistan to have only neutral umpires for One-Day Internationals.

ICC [Images] spokesman John Long said a letter has been received from the Pakistan Cricket Board following its tour of Australia.

The Pakistanis felt that the umpiring in general during the tri-series tournament, also involving Australia and West Indies [Images], favoured the home side and has called on the ICC to bring limited-overs matches in line with Tests, which are umpired by neutral officials since 2001.

At present, all One-Day Internationals are officiated by one home umpire and one neutral umpire.

"We have received a letter on that topic and it will be dealt with in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time," Long was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.

The issue is likely to be raised at the ICC cricket committee scheduled to meet at Lord's in May.

Depending on the committee's decision, a recommendation would follow for the chief executives of member countries to consider at their meeting in the middle of 2005.

A final decision rests with the ICC executive board.

The debate over umpiring became a hot topic recently with several current and retired players joining the issue.

Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis asked ICC to look into the number of controversial decisions that went against Pakistan. Former New Zealand [Images] opener Mark Richardson also supported suggestions that international umpires are in awe of the Australian team and bend to pressure.

Richardson also backed a complaint from Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer [Images] that his team was on the wrong end of most close decisions during the recent tour.

However, flamboyant New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden denied that umpires were intimidated by the Australian players in the recent Test and one-day series involving Pakistan.