 Players call for a review by making a "T" signal with their forearms |
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has agreed in principle to use the umpire Decision Review System (DRS) at the 2011 World Cup. The ICC must first strike a deal with broadcasters ESPN Star Sports to work out whether sufficient technology is available to use at a global event. The DRS has been plagued by various financial and execution problems. The ICC would like the technology to be used in all 49 World Cup matches in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A cricket committee, led by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, recommended that DRS should be used in all Test matches in May. And the ICC's board, made up of the 10 chairman from the Test-playing nations, approved 13 recommendations relating to the use of the technology in Test matches and the 2011 World Cup at its annual meeting in Singapore on Thursday. "We have all seen the benefits of using DRS to assist umpires in Test cricket and we are now keen to use DRS in the World Cup," said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat. "We also acknowledge and we are grateful for the support provided by broadcasters and technology suppliers around the world during the development phase of DRS."  | 606: DEBATE Is DRS suited for one-day cricket and the World Cup? |
The DRS allows each side two referrals per innings and was first trialled in a Test match in June 2008. If a decision is challenged correctly, the referrals remain. However, if an incorrect referral is made by either side, they lose one of their opportunities to challenge the decision of the on-field umpire. The cost of technology has been the overriding factor in the delay of rolling out DRS, with home cricket boards reluctant to cover the expensive costs of hiring the necessary equipment, while host broadcasters insist they are under no obligation to provide the service for free. The various trials of the system, including England's winter tours to West Indies in 2009 and South Africa in 2009/10, have provided several controversial incidents, the most noteworthy of which occurred in the fourth Test in Johannesburg in January. On that occasion, Daryl Harper failed to hear anything on the replays following Ryan Sidebottom's caught behind appeal against Graeme Smith, an incident that sparked dismay among the England players. The ICC ordered an investigation, led by Lloyd and lawyer Brent Lockie, to iron out the system's various inconsistencies. The findings from the report concluded that a "technology failure at the time adversely impacted on the information received by the third umpire Daryl Harper while making his decision". As a result, the ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) agreed Australian Harper was "entirely blameless" because of the technical fault.
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