Umpire’s call in cricket: There is a lot of hype surrounding the Decision Review System (DRS) in cricket and fans are often confused by its rules. How does LBW work, what is outside and inside toss and what exactly is an umpire in cricket are common questions among viewers.
Some decisions and situations during the match can be quite confusing or close for the match officials to judge correctly. This is where DRS comes into play – to keep the sport fair and accurate.
On-field referees may consult with a third referee in the event of referee reviews or player reviews as part of the decision review system. When a player disagrees with the referee’s official decision, whether sent off or not, he can opt for a review.
DRS is mostly used in cases of tight calls like LBW or outside edge. The ability to inspect rests with the captain of the bowling side and the field players of the batting side. DRS can help the umpires to determine whether the ball has pitched in line or outside, hit or missed the pads/bat, and hit or missed the stumps.
If all conditions are met, the batsman is declared “out” otherwise “not out”. If DRS proves that the judge’s decision is wrong, he is forced to cancel it. If the umpire’s decision is wrong, but by a very small margin, or the third umpire’s findings turn out to be inconclusive, it is called the umpire’s call and the on-field umpire’s decision is followed. Umpire’s call is only effective in reviewing LBW decisions.
Here is a detailed explanation of DRS, the LBW rule, the umpire’s call rule and why it is controversial.
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What is a judge?
In simple terms, the umpire’s call means that the on-field umpire should be given the benefit of the doubt in close LBW decisions. As many cricket fans would know, Leg-Before Wicket (LBW) is a form of dismissal in cricket.
If the ball hits the batsman’s leg and is in the path of the wicket, the player is out. This rule prevents unethical practices in cricket, such as using the leg to prevent the ball from hitting the stumps.
There are many technicalities behind LBW dismissals, but mainly umpires take into account three things – where the ball is pitched, the point of impact between the ball and the batsman and the trajectory of the ball.
As such, there is a lot of room for error and the referee’s decision on the field may not be satisfactory to the players. Even after a review, the third official may instruct the on-field referee to follow his original decision. Hence the name – Umpire’s Call.
Why is the referee’s call controversial?
The umpire’s call sent the cricketing world into a frenzy due to its confusing technicalities. Some players even called for it to be banned. DRS was introduced in cricket in 2008, but the umpire’s call rule was added in 2016. Since then, cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne have expressed their support for the abolition of DRS umpire’s calls.
The main problem that the players face is that the referee’s call is very confusing, not only for the players but also for the fans. It complicates simple decisions, and sometimes results in incorrect solutions.
For example, if less than 50% of the balls hit the stumps according to the hawk eye trajectory prediction, the balls will be counted as missing the wickets. Cricketers claim that any percentage of the ball’s surface that hits the stumps or pits is enough to knock them out. The 50% rule also applies to throwing and point of impact.
Even though the ICC has changed the rules of DRS, the umpire’s call in DRS still bothers the players. This resulted in many controversial sackings and non-relegations.
Another argument against the referee’s call is since it allows for human error, what is the point of using it in DRS? Just go back to before DRS was implemented. The referee’s call is an obstacle to complete accuracy.
The counterargument to the above is that prediction technology, Hawk-eye and ultra edge are not safe either. Ball tracking does not take into account the level of spin or swing of the ball. There is room for error even with modern technology, human error can also be allowed by the referee’s call.
The point
The decision to call the umpire has been criticized since its implementation in 2016. The ICC has changed the rule many times after listening to player complaints and advice from veteran cricketers and match officials. The referee’s call rule isn’t going anywhere, and the players will just have to accept it. But the positive change is that the team will not lose the review in the case of a DRS call by the referee.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education