Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting urges ICC to allow neutral umpires after Day 1 horror show

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has called for cricket to ditch its requirement for neutral umpires in the wake of a slew of poor decisions that blighted the opening day of the Ashes series.

Umpires Aleem Dar and Joel Wilson drew widespread criticism after a rocky day one at Edgbaston on Thursday, with a number of their calls over-turned by the decision review system after Australia elected to bat.

English and Australian umpires dominate the ICC's elite umpires panel but are ruled out of officiating the Ashes due to the global cricket's requirement for neutral nation umpires to control matches.

"I would like to think the game has come far enough now for the game to not have neutral umpires," Ponting told Cricket Australia's website.