The influential World Cricket Committee has proposed a change to the Decision Review System (DRS), Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) said on Friday (November 27).
The group, featuring some of the biggest names in world cricket including former Australia captains Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting and Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, is an independent body funded by MCC, who are the acknowledged guardians of the laws and spirit of the game.
David Richardson, chief executive of International Cricket Council (ICC), who is also a committee member, said the governing body is paying close attention to the ideas of the MCC think-tank. The committee met in Adelaide ahead of the inaugural day-night Test, discussing many topics including the contentious DRS.
“There should be no loss of a review for the fielding side if the ball is shown to be clipping the stumps in the umpire’s call zone,” the committee said in a statement. “This could then allow the removal of the reallocation of two reviews after 80 overs.”
The issue was highlighted in last week’s second trans-Tasman Test in Perth when New Zealand used their final review to refer a confident leg before appeal on day one. The ball-tracking technology suggested it was hitting the top of middle stump. However, with just under 50 percent of the ball predicted to hit the wicket, the verdict was deemed the umpire’s call and New Zealand lost the remaining challenge.
The MCC group hoped an upcoming report from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on the accuracy of DRS technologies would convince sceptical India to finally embrace the system. The think-tank was also impressed by a report from Simon Taufel, the former Test umpire, on technology designed to allow the third umpire to monitor no-balls.
“A fast, automated system for the calling of front-foot no-balls would be a welcome enhancement to the game,” the committee said.
It also expressed concern about the lack of balance between bat and ball and the fact home advantage carries too much significance in Test cricket. The group, a long-time supporter of day-night Tests, also suggested that a wider process was required to help boost interest in Test cricket.
“Other factors to be considered include the quality of pitches, marketing, ticket pricing, access for children, spectator experience and finding ways of making sure that each country’s best players are available,” the committee noted.
