ICC wants on-field umpires in charge during referrals

ICC wants on-field umpires to be in charge of referral system after reviewing the experiment introduced during India-Lanka Test series.

The International Cricket Council wants the two on-field umpires to be totally in charge of the referral system after doing a review of the experiment introduced in the July-August India-Sri Lanka three-Test rubber held in the Emerald Island.

“I know some Indians were not happy with the system with Sri Lanka slightly holding an upper hand. But we were satisfied with the referral system and found out that it led to 98 per cent correct decisions being given,” said ICC’s manager for cricket operations, David Richardson said in Mumbai on Thursday.

Richardson said the ICC was only concerned that the on-field umpires were not totally in charge of the referrals and left it mostly to the third umpire.

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“The only disappointment was that the third umpire ruled the roost. We want the on-field umpires to be in total charge of the referrals all the time. It’s good for the game and the umpires who carry the stigma for giving wrong decisions throughout their life (in the absence of such a system),” he elaborated.

“It gives the umpires an opportunity to rectify their mistakes. It also eliminates umpiring controversies and brings back the focus (of everyone) on the game,” he added while maintaining that a 100 per cent fool-proof system is not yet possible in the absence of similar technological help.

The experiment provides options to the batting and fielding sides to challenge an umpire’s verdict three times in an innings and is to be tried out in three future Test rubbers, including the January-February, next year India-Pakistan series.

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