It’s safe to say Australian cricket has a number of significant issues to manage this summer.
The two key issues for me are getting a competitive team together to face India in the Test series, then making sure we have our best squads for the World Cup and Ashes series in England.
Along the way, we have the JLT Cup, the Sheffield Shield and the BBL to help selectors get an idea about where players are at that might be chances to make any one of our three national cricket teams.
All of these domestic competitions have TV coverage now that the new broadcast deal has been reached with Channel 7/Foxtel, which brings me to the point of this article.
Why isn’t this technology being used to help umpires make correct decisions?
There have been two decisions that have been made over the past few days that highlight the point I’m trying to make: Travis Head’s highly questionable LBW decision against WA and that incredible caught behind decision Joe Burns copped against NSW. In Head’s case, he has to make a lot of runs to be a lock for the first Test – Langer has made that very clear – but for his confidence and proof he’s good enough at Test level, a chance to make a big hundred would have helped him no end.
In Burns case, he’d have to be in the frame for an opening spot, but what chance does he have of showing his wares to selectors if he gets an absolute howler from an umpire? I realize selections should not be based on one inning, but the selectors must have been lining up to watch Burns and Matt Renshaw against the Australian attack and they saw Burns for exactly nine balls.
What if the correct decision of not out was made and he went on to get a big score?
It should surely be a simple matter for batting referrals to become part of Shield cricket at least, now that all games have TV coverage. Cricket Australia needs to make a change to its rules so players can ask for a decision to be reviewed (DRS) where TV coverage allows.
If it helps selectors choose the best players for our teams, why wouldn’t we use it?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
True. There’s a lot of luck involved in cricket - especially whether you hit the edge or not. People shouldn’t be picked on the basis of one or two innings anyway.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
I'm with you on this one, Paul. These fellas are apparently under the illusion that a good batsman should never, ever play and miss, or execute a shot poorly. Imagine that: a sportsman who has less than a second to make a decision and execute it may sometimes fail to get it spot on. How shocking! If the logistics of providing a review system for every FC match proved to be excessively expensive or something, then that'd be one thing, but this bizarre argument we're seeing here is ludicrous.
Paul
Roar Guru
I too had a wise coach who was also a first grade umpire. He was very strongly of the view that if technology was available, it should be used because umpires make mistakes. This is not about looking for excuses, this is about giving guys the chance to show what they can in Shield cricket so they can hopefully stake a claim for higher honours. I assume from your response we should do away with the DRS and other review mechanisms at Test level, because guys can only control what they can do out in the middle? I reckon there'd be a few hundred Test players who'd disagree with you.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Bull's eye
Damo
Guest
**position rather than decision**
Damo
Guest
As a wise coach once told me........it's hard for the umpire to give you out when it comes off the middle of the bat. Instead of looking for excuses we should be looking for players to reduce the risk of being in that decision in the first place. Head missed a full ball on leg stump (I've also seen worse decisions than that) and you have to question the shot that Burns was trying to play, it clearly wasn't there - though he did cop an absolute stinker. You can only control what you can do out in the middle and as they say, you make your own luck.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
How about getting out in the middle and learning your craft more often, technology is overrated, hard work is more valuable. technology advances in making better bats and sports science has made a lot of players less effective , resilient or able to think for themselves while in the game.