Icc To Trial TV Umpire Referrals

The International Cricket Council will use this summer’s Test series between Sri Lanka and India to try out a technology-based referral system on umpiring decisions.

Players will be allowed to challenge decisions made by on-field umpires, and have them referred to the TV official. Each team will be limited to three unsuccessful challenges per innings.

The ICC wanted to test the system during England’s Test series against South Africa, but the national cricket boards did not give their consent.

The use of the third umpire in international matches is currently governed by the proviso that it is the on-field umpires alone who decide whether a decision needs to be passed on to the replay official.

Even then, they can only refer ‘line’ decisions – such as run-outs, stumping or boundaries – incidents where catches may have been grounded.

During the three-Test series, which starts in Colombo on 23rd July and continues in Galle before returning to Colombo, only the batsman on the receiving end of the umpire’s original decision or the captain of the fielding side can appeal by making a ‘T’ sign with both forearms at shoulder height.

The ICC will review the process at the end of the series.

An experiment to allow players to challenge decisions was first attempted in English county cricket’s Friends Provident Trophy in 2007. But it was not regarded as a great success – and the experiment was dropped after one season after no decisions made by on-field umpires were reversed.

A similar system in tennis using the Hawk-Eye technology, which uses cameras to follow the ball’s trajectory, has already been successfully used to challenge line calls at the US and Australian Open and Wimbledon.