 England were stunned when the referral was rejected early on day two
Cricket's governing body has appointed Clive Lloyd to investigate the decision review system issues from the fourth Test between South Africa and England. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC) after referrals made to third umpire Daryl Harper. Ex-West Indies captain Lloyd will be assisted by barrister Brent Lockie. "We understand the need to continue enhancing the system in these early days," said ICC chief Haroon Lorgat. "I'm sure this independent investigation will assist in that regard." The investigation stemmed from a controversial not out decision on the second day of the Johannesburg Test when England referred a caught behind appeal against Graeme Smith off Ryan Sidebottom. Although a noise was clearly heard on television replays, Harper, sitting in the third umpire's enclosure, said he could not hear anything decisive and concurred with on-field umpire Tony Hill's original not out decision, sparking dismay among England's players.  | 606: DEBATE |
A subsequent investigation said Harper had allegedly failed to turn up the speaker volume, but the Australian official blamed the host broadcaster and claimed he had been made a "scapegoat". England immediately lodged a formal complaint with the ICC demanding an official investigation, with ECB chairman Giles Clarke describing the system as a "shambles" that was "destroying the authority of our umpires". The ICC has appointed Lloyd, the chairman of its cricket committee, and Scottish advocate Lockie, a member of its code of conduct commission, to oversee the review, although no submission date for the report has been given. "The DRS is a ground-breaking system which was introduced to eliminate the obvious umpiring errors," added Lorgat. "The majority of players and officials who experienced the system in the southern hemisphere summer, have expressed qualified support for using the system."
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