Chris Broad, a former ICC match referee, has made grave accusations against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), claiming that during his time there, political clout was exploited to shield the Indian squad from sanctions. In an interview, Broad—who is also the father of retired England bowler Stuart Broad—explained these allegations. According to Broad, he got a direct phone call telling him to be "lenient" and figure out how to avoid giving the Indian side, which was captained by Sourav Ganguly, a slow over-rate punishment in a specific game.
Broad mentioned that India was three or four overs behind at the end of the game, which was an offence that carried an automatic fine, without going into specifics.

By adjusting the elapsed time to bring the over-rate below the fine threshold, Broad said he had to comply with the BCCI's request.
Broad went on to say in the interview that compared to his early days as an official, the sport has become much more political. Broad claimed that top positions in the ICC have become much more politically motivated, with the BCCI serving as the primary financial motivator.
"India now controls the ICC in many respects after receiving all the funds. It's a far more political post now than it has ever been, so I'm glad I'm not here," Broad told the Telegraph.

Broad described how the phone call essentially made him be more forgiving of Team India in the sluggish over-rate situation. Sourav Ganguly, the captain of the Indian squad, was involved in the event. However, Broad stated that he upheld the rule and disciplined the team on another instance involving Ganguly.
"It was a fine since India was three or four overs down at the end of a game. 'Be tolerant, find some time since it's India,' I was told over the phone. And it's like, okay, right. Therefore, we needed to find some time to lower it below the threshold.

"The exact same thing occurred in the very following game. I called and asked, "What do you want me to do now?" because he [Sourav Ganguly] didn't listen to any of the hurry-ups, and I was ordered to "just do him." Therefore, politics was involved from the beginning. Many of the guys these days are either keeping their heads down or are more politically astute. "I'm not sure," asserted Broad.