Phillip Hughes, left, walks back to the pavilion. AP Photo/Tom Hevez
Cricket’s television review system to rule on umpiring decisions is ending up to be a diabolical move. Granted umpires and all international cricketers are under the scrutiny of television’s beady eye at the top end of the game.
When South Africa, some years ago, decided to allow television replays to rule on run-out decisions, it was met with derision from some quarters of the cricketing establishment.
However, many ICC countries followed this pioneering example and soon became part of the cricketing landscape. But I think the ICC should leave it there and not tamper with expanding the use of technology.
For one, the constant replays now that the review system is on trial, halts the momentum of the game and that’s the last thing the ICC would want as it tries to expand the game to a larger fan base.
Of course, the reality is that the intention is to play it as fair as possible, with marginal decisions, to improve the umpires umpiring abilities, for post-match analysis, and basically to avoid controversy.
But has anyone accumulated statistics on how the evolution of television’s beady eye has assisted in improving some of these aspects that despite the glare of the tv cameras, are still of concern?
Television replays are used to rule on fours and sixes, even catches where the ball could have bounced before being taken. However, as has been proven again and again, even with the glare of the television available in many cases it is even impossible for the third umpire to come to a decision due to the lack of an appropriate angle.
From the pioneering run out system, the television set is playing now an even bigger role. But to include rulings on leg before decisions?
Is their scientific proof that the pitch map is conclusive at all, with regards to the trajectory of the ball, etc?
Question is, how much more scope to we want to give the glare of the television camera? It has already taken over at least 30 per cent of the umpires’ work.
Do we therefore make the umpires even more complacent (allow standards to drop) with them knowing there is ample back-up in case of a mistake?
I say keep the umpires let them do their jobs, without any interference from the tv cameras. Let them make mistakes – they’re human after all. Even the third umpire is making errors, anyway.
And then help them improve.
Let television, in the form of media entertainment, be used for the purpose it was created for – to entertain – and leave the umpires to do their job.
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