Umpire Decision Review System
Encyclopedia
The Umpire Decision Review System (abbreviated as UDRS or DRS) is a new technology based system currently being used on an experimental basis in the sport of cricket
. The system was first introduced in Test Cricket
for the sole purpose of reviewing the controversial decisions made by the on-field umpire
s in the case of a batsman being dismissed or not. The new review system was officially launched by International Cricket Council
on 24 November 2009 during the first Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan at the University Oval in Dunedin
. It was first used in One Day Internationals in January 2011, during England's tour of Australia. The ICC had made the UDRS mandatory in all international matches but it later decided to end the mandatory use of DRS and now it will be up to both the teams to mutually agree on DRS use. However, the ICC's executive board made it clear that the DRS would still be part of all ICC events and that they support the use of technology and would continue to work on its development.
s and stumpings) and boundary calls, a challenge is used in situations that may result in a dismissal: for example, to determine if the ball is a legal catch
(making contact with the batsman's bat or glove and not touching the ground before being held by a fielder) or if a delivery made the criteria for a leg before wicket
dismissal (hitting the ground in line or on the off side and hitting the batsman in line with a path that would have hit the wicket). The Third Umpire then reports to the on-field umpire whether his analysis supports the original call, contradicts the call, or is inconclusive. The on-field umpire then makes the final decision: either re-signalling a call that is standing or revoking a call that is being reversed and then making the corrected signal. Each team can go for referrals until they use their share of unsuccessful reviews. Under the DRS rule only clearly incorrect decisions are reversed; if the Third Umpire's analysis is within established margins of error or is otherwise inconclusive, the on-field umpire's original call stands.
When a not-out LBW decision is evaluated, and if the replay demonstrates the ball has made impact more than 2.5m away from the wickets, the umpires also have to consider another feature: the distance the ball has travelled between pitching and hitting the pad. If that distance (between pitching and pad) is less than 40cm and if the ball has to travel more than 2.5m to reach the stumps, then any not-out decision given by the on-field umpire will remain not out. It has also been decided that if the batsman is more than 3.5m from the wicket, then again not-out decisions will not be reversed. The only picture in which an LBW decision will be reversed in favor of the bowler is if the batsman is more than 2.5m away from the wicket, if the distance is less than 3.5m and the distance between pitching and point of impact is more than 40cm. In that case, some part of the ball must be hitting the middle stump, and the whole ball must be hitting the stumps below the bails. In cases where the original decision is out, the 2.5m or 40cm distances do not apply, as in that state Hawk Eye must show the ball to be completely missing the stumps in order for the umpire to undo his decision.
labelled the system a 'gimmick'. Another West Indian Ramnaresh Sarwan
said that he was not a supporter of the experimental referral system. Former umpire Dickie Bird also criticised the system, saying it undermines the authority of on-field umpires. The cricketing board of India, (BCCI
) is not in favour of using the system.
Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal
expressed dissatisfaction over the Decision Review System after semi-final of 2011 Cricket World Cup
against India. He said that DRS showed the line of the ball deviating more than it actually did.
The British company HawkEye published an official response on the Sachin Tendulkar review, which proves that the decision reversal was right.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. The system was first introduced in Test Cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
for the sole purpose of reviewing the controversial decisions made by the on-field umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
s in the case of a batsman being dismissed or not. The new review system was officially launched by International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
on 24 November 2009 during the first Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan at the University Oval in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. It was first used in One Day Internationals in January 2011, during England's tour of Australia. The ICC had made the UDRS mandatory in all international matches but it later decided to end the mandatory use of DRS and now it will be up to both the teams to mutually agree on DRS use. However, the ICC's executive board made it clear that the DRS would still be part of all ICC events and that they support the use of technology and would continue to work on its development.
System
Each team is allowed to make two unsuccessful review requests per innings during a match. A fielding team may use the system to dispute a "not out" call and a batting team may do so to dispute an "out" call. The fielding team captain or the batsman being dismissed invokes the challenge by signalling a "T" with the arms. Once the challenge is invoked, acknowledged, and agreed, the Third Umpire reviews the play. While umpires may request the Third Umpire for certain close calls such as line calls (to determine run outRun out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
s and stumpings) and boundary calls, a challenge is used in situations that may result in a dismissal: for example, to determine if the ball is a legal catch
Caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Being caught out is the most common method of dismissal at higher levels of competition...
(making contact with the batsman's bat or glove and not touching the ground before being held by a fielder) or if a delivery made the criteria for a leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
dismissal (hitting the ground in line or on the off side and hitting the batsman in line with a path that would have hit the wicket). The Third Umpire then reports to the on-field umpire whether his analysis supports the original call, contradicts the call, or is inconclusive. The on-field umpire then makes the final decision: either re-signalling a call that is standing or revoking a call that is being reversed and then making the corrected signal. Each team can go for referrals until they use their share of unsuccessful reviews. Under the DRS rule only clearly incorrect decisions are reversed; if the Third Umpire's analysis is within established margins of error or is otherwise inconclusive, the on-field umpire's original call stands.
When a not-out LBW decision is evaluated, and if the replay demonstrates the ball has made impact more than 2.5m away from the wickets, the umpires also have to consider another feature: the distance the ball has travelled between pitching and hitting the pad. If that distance (between pitching and pad) is less than 40cm and if the ball has to travel more than 2.5m to reach the stumps, then any not-out decision given by the on-field umpire will remain not out. It has also been decided that if the batsman is more than 3.5m from the wicket, then again not-out decisions will not be reversed. The only picture in which an LBW decision will be reversed in favor of the bowler is if the batsman is more than 2.5m away from the wicket, if the distance is less than 3.5m and the distance between pitching and point of impact is more than 40cm. In that case, some part of the ball must be hitting the middle stump, and the whole ball must be hitting the stumps below the bails. In cases where the original decision is out, the 2.5m or 40cm distances do not apply, as in that state Hawk Eye must show the ball to be completely missing the stumps in order for the umpire to undo his decision.
Response
The Decision Review System has generally received positive response from players and coaches since its launch, however there have been some criticisms as well. West Indies legend Joel GarnerJoel Garner
Joel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....
labelled the system a 'gimmick'. Another West Indian Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Ronnie Sarwan is a West Indian cricketer of Indo-Guyanese origin and a member of the West Indies cricket team....
said that he was not a supporter of the experimental referral system. Former umpire Dickie Bird also criticised the system, saying it undermines the authority of on-field umpires. The cricketing board of India, (BCCI
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
) is not in favour of using the system.
Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal ; born 14 October 1977) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler who also uses the Doosra to good effect.-Early life and domestic cricket:...
expressed dissatisfaction over the Decision Review System after semi-final of 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
against India. He said that DRS showed the line of the ball deviating more than it actually did.
The British company HawkEye published an official response on the Sachin Tendulkar review, which proves that the decision reversal was right.
ICC World Cup 2011
The first referral of the World Cup came after the 4th ball of the 2nd innings was bowled. India's Shanthakumaran Sreesanth had bowled a yorker and the umpire declared it not out. Dhoni referred it to the TV umpire and a replay showed it might have missed the leg stump, so the original decision was upheld. The match marked the debut of the controversial umpire referral system in World Cup cricket. UDRS was used in a thrilling tie between India and England in Bangalore as MS Dhoni was annoyed by the system and said that it is an adulteration of human decision and technology, to which the ICC replied that the players should know the technology before passing judgement on it. ICC later revised the guidelines of the 2.5m rule. Pakistan used DRS successfully against Australia in their group A match. Australian captain Ricky Ponting edged a delivery from Mohammed Hafeez and the umpire ruled it not out. The DRS system reversed this decision. This was a critical turning point in the match. The Australian skipper admitted after the match that he had edged the ball, but said he stayed at the crease because he has never been a walker. "There were no doubts about the nick - I knew I hit it," Ponting said. "But as always, I wait for the umpire to give me out. That's the way I've always played the game."External links
- www.icc-cricket.com – Full list of playing regulations relating to the implementation of the umpire decision review system is available on the website.