TV umpire to call no-balls in a cricket first

Published December 6, 2019
Pressure has been building for a new approach after TV replays showed 21 no-balls were missed in two sessions on the second day of the Australia-Pakistan Test in Brisbane last month. — AFP/File
Pressure has been building for a new approach after TV replays showed 21 no-balls were missed in two sessions on the second day of the Australia-Pakistan Test in Brisbane last month. — AFP/File

Cricket is to trial using a TV umpire instead of the on-field official to call no-balls in the series between India and West Indies, following a rash of mistakes.

The Twenty20 and one-day games, starting with the first T20 in Hyderabad on Friday, “will be contested trialing technology to call front foot no balls”, the International Cricket Council said.

“Throughout the trial, the third umpire will be responsible for monitoring every ball bowled and identifying whether there has been any front foot infringement,” an ICC statement said on Thursday.

“If there has been an infringement on the front foot, the third umpire will communicate this to the on-field umpire who will subsequently call a no-ball.”

The on-field umpire usually calls front-foot no-balls, which are when the bowler's leading foot lands beyond the crease. The delivery is ruled illegal and one run is awarded to the batting side.

Pressure has been building for a new approach after TV replays showed 21 no-balls were missed in two sessions on the second day of the Australia-Pakistan Test in Brisbane last month.

Trent Copeland, a former Australian player and now a television analyst, called the misses “astonishing” and said the issue had to be dealt with.

Even before the 21 no-balls, the umpires' actions had come in for question.

Australian bowler Pat Cummins' dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan was upheld even though replays showed his foot was over the bowling line.

“The outcomes of the trial will be used to gauge whether the system has a beneficial impact on the accuracy of no ball decisions and whether it can be implemented while minimising disruption to the flow of the game,” the ICC said.

India and West Indies will play three T20s followed by three one-day matches, which start on December 15.

India's cricket board last month announced that it will experiment with a separate no-ball umpire in the Indian Premier League after controversies in the 2019 tournament.

International cricket already employs a Decision Review System, where players can challenge an umpire's decision using slow-motion replays, ball-tracking, audio and heat-sensing technology.

Opinion

Four hundred seats?

Four hundred seats?

The mix of divisive cultural politics and grow­th-oriented economics that feeds Hindu middle-class ambition and provides targeted welfare are key ingredients in the BJP’s political trajectory.

Editorial

Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...
Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.