South Africa and England are playing this test series under the new ICC Review System. I sas it in action for the first time yesterday (19th Decemeber 2009). Did it work? I am not sure. England had an LBW decision turned down and they referred it. It looked like it was worth a challenge. The reply showed the ball was hitting leg stump, but the ICC have put a tolerance on the Hawk Eye reply. It must be hitting more than half the stump (leg and off). The reply showed it hitting the outside of leg stump, but not just clipping, but hitting the outer half. This meant it was not out and the review lost.

Here is my problem. The umpire was correct, their was doubt. Doubt goes to the batsman and always should, so not out, but the reply showed it hitting. England were also right. So why do they lose their review? Why can’t they keep the review, but the decision still be not out? If it was missing, they lose the review.

I have a bigger issue in general with technology in cricket and sport in general. I play a reasonable standard in the Saracens Herts League and umpires are provided by the league. The umpires are ok, but not brilliant, but they give up their weekend and umpire to the standard we are playing. We have to put up with bad decisions and no doubt we get more than the next league up and they get more than the county standard. I am sure when players umpire the standard is all over the place. Ever played in a game when a batsman has been given out, he comes out to umpire and everything is out, and the bowler who got nothing and then gives nothing when he umpires?

International umpires should be the cream of the crop and get the tough decisions right more often the not. The ICC should be concentrating of getting those standards higher. Sport at all levels should be played by the same rules. We don’t get video assistance at our standard and I doubt we ever will. If anything it is our standard that needs it most.

In the current series there is no snickometre or hot spot as the host TV company can’t afford it. So in the series you will be not out, but in Australia you would have been out. You can’t play with different rules in different countries. Either everyone has the same or you don’t use it. The ICC needs to pay for this and have consistency.

Imagine a bigger, well funded club in our league being able to have run out video. You can’t have one club have it and not the rest. You are not out at 19 grounds, but out at theirs.

If the ICC do stick with technology then we are going to have to rewrite the record books. All pre technology records stand and we start again. I am sure somewhere in Matthew Hayden’s world record innings or Brian Lara’s Hawk Eye would have said they were out.

In my opinion technology should be used for no balls. The 3rd umpire can look at this and the on field umpire can concentrate on the other end. I would start with that and see if that improves standards.

Tags: icc review system, Technology in sport