Umpiring was back in the spotlight at Manuka Oval last night as the Sydney Thunder picked up their second win on the trot, over the Perth Scorchers, but it’s high time the BBL got serious about introducing the decision review system (DRS).
The DRS, a staple of the international game, would have meant the correct decision was made when Usman Khawaja smacked one off the edge through to Josh Inglis behind the stumps.
It would have meant that, instead of remonstrating with the umpire, Andrew Tye would have asked for a review and the correct outcome would have been achieved.
I’ll always support umpiring. It’s an incredibly tough job. But that decision wasn’t the first howler in BBL history, and it certainly won’t be the last.
This was originally going to be a column about how the Sydney Thunder can win this year’s tournament with a fairly unheralded squad. About how strange things are with bubbles and the Perth Scorchers not doing Perth Scorcher things (you know, being successful).
It was going to be about the Thunder’s debutant, Ollie Davies, who could well be playing for Australia in a matter of years. I was supposed to talk about how solid Callum Ferguson looked.
But it isn’t going to be that.
It’s going to be about the umpiring.
As mentioned at the start, I’ll always back an umpire 100 per cent. It is one of the toughest job in sport and until you’ve tried it in a proper game (I don’t mean umpiring your drunk mates in the backyard either), I’d suggest you don’t really know enough about the craft to pass judgement.
My respect for umpires grew enormously once I gave it a crack myself and continues to grow each time I walk on-field.
But decisions like last night’s prove it’s time for the BBL to get on the same page as other top T20 leagues around the world, and international cricket, by introducing the DRS.
Because umpiring cricket is one of the toughest jobs in world sport, mistakes are going to be made.
Umpires are human beings. That, more than anything else, was evident when Khawaja hit the cover off it, but was adjudged not out.
Usman Khawaja of the Thunder. (Photo by Chris Hyde – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
It brought back memories of Stuart Broad’s famous snick to first slip in the Ashes, all those years ago, before failing to walk.
It doesn’t matter what level of cricket it is, mistakes are going to be made. It’s hard enough to get the obvious ones right, let alone the ones where it’s 50-50, as we see in every game around the world.
Sure, it’s a bit easier once it’s slowed down with ball tracking and you can have a hundred looks at it, but the umpire on-field gets one look, in real time. He can’t ask for time to replay it over in his head. He gets one shot.
Umpires will get it right more often than not – that comes with being at the top of the Australian panel. There are some very, very good umpires at the top of Aussie cricket, many banging on the door of international selection.
But it is impossible to get every single decision right and that’s where the decision review system comes in.
In T20 cricket, it should be a single review per team for the innings, used to get rid of the howler decision. That was the intent of the DRS when the ICC originally approved its use.
While captains are more than happy to take a punt in Test cricket (particularly now with three reviews per innings), one review in a T20 innings will mean skippers don’t gamble until the final overs.
And yes, there is the threat of DRS slowing the game down, but at one review per innings, it’ll be a novelty rather than a regular occurrence, and the pace of play shouldn’t be impacted.
Of course there are drawbacks, mainly relating to cost, but if the broadcasters and Cricket Australia want the most professional product possible to appeal to the rusted-on cricket fans, who appear to be turning away from the BBL, cutting out mistakes is critical.
Last night’s decision didn’t change the result, but on another day it might have, and that should be more than enough to think about next year’s innovation being the DRS, rather than messing with playing conditions and rules of the tournament – as was the case this season.
The Sydney Thunder might just keep rolling along, with Davies, Khawaja and captain Ferguson dreaming of upstaging the bigger teams, but without DRS, an elimination game might just be decided by an incorrect decision.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Cricket history is full of people who walk for obvious ones but remain for fainter nicks in the hope their reputation might save them. The ones that really amuse me are the non-walkers who cry foul when an opposition player does the same.
Was
Roar Rookie
Completely agree DTM - CA have sold out to Foxtel, so there’s no excitement being generated as only limited people can watch it. We used to have it on in the background and watch when we could, but that’s not possible now so we move on to something else.
WAS
Guest
Oh completely agree DTM! The BBL generated excitement when it was on free to air - you had it on in the background and watched when you could. CA have sold out to Foxtel, and now there’s no more excitement or interest, so you go and do something else. It’s a shame.
Anth
Roar Rookie
Yeah I agree, the system was intended to eradicate howlers, but the DRS has been bastardized by all and sundry. It is now employed as a tactical mechanism by teams. Fifty-fifty decisions are frequently sent upstairs and its use has completely shifted away from the reason of its introduction.
Partyhat
Roar Rookie
I’m an England fan... there’s no disputing he edged it , it’s just that (and Scott is contributing to this) it’s transmogrified to almost a square cut to point and he didn’t walk.... he just edged to keeper who palmed it to slip.... confusing for umpire, end of. You either believe batsmen should walk or you don’t .. no one gets to draw the line on when you should walk or when you should wait for the decision
HR
Roar Rookie
Lighten up, Francis.
HR
Roar Rookie
But the system was intended for exactly those situations, when the standing umpire has made an obvious mistake (the howler in the game referred to in the article, for instance). The umpire isn't going to refer that decision, because he believes he has made the correct one. That's why each team needs the ability to review - it guards against clear umpiring errors. If it's in the hands of the umpire, that won't happen nearly as effectively.
Cricket fan
Roar Rookie
I think ABC Me (formerly ABC3) would be perfectly appropriate for the BBL
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I'm disappointed in Khawaja. He should have known better.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
CJ, the problem with that process is how often & to what degree does an umpire keep referring dismissal decisions up to the third umpire. They are going to take a lot of criticism for not taking responsibility for making the on-field decisions. There is also going to be quite a wide range of opinion on how often they send reviews to the third umpire. If a batsman is given out for caught behind & he knows & felt the ball touch the bat, he is going to be very silly to to review it. So he walks & all is well. If he feels the ball hitting his pad not the bat, he reviews it & the DRS / Hotspot show the ball edges the pad, the the decision is reversed. The batting team keeps their review & all is well.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
There is no perfect system, but the logic behind limited reviews is that teams only use them when they are reasonably confident that a wrong decision has made by the umpire. Remove the cap & reviews will become very common as their will be no negative consequences for a team sending it upstairs thus wasting everyone's time. If you are given out as a result of a bad umpiring call & you have no remaining reviews, a team will have to admit they also made a previous bad call by taking an early review.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Good afternoon Johan. Are you saying you don’t enjoy the loud music, ground announcers encouraging the crowd to cheer, the bat flip, inane commentators, rules that a University professor can’t understand, mindless interviews with batsmen who have just been dismissed? Perhaps if Fox & Channel 7 decide not to broadcast it next year, may I suggest it be shown on the Comedy Channel. For those old enough to remember, Benny Hill music could be played in the background. Appropriate.
Johan
Guest
The whole article is premised on the notion that if the bbl (it doesn’t deserve capitals!) had reviews then the not out decision would have reversed. However that is not necessarily the case. What if the fielding team had already used their review/s? I don’t watch the bbl as it’s designed to appeal to ignorant, classless types who can’t understand test cricket and seek instant gratification from batsmen hitting constant sixes. Perhaps they should just scrap the bowlers altogether and use a bowling machine!! The idea that the bbl would be improved by adding DRS is laughable nonsense. It is now being exposed as a busted flush. One of the few benefits of this terrible year is the number of star players who opted to skip embarrassing themselves in the bbl.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Commentary has been worse than terrible. They regularly try to talk it up by telling us “superstars of world cricket are playing in the BBL”. Who are they?
Jeansyjive
Roar Rookie
Unfortunately this is one of many howlers already this BBL. Umpiring has been terrible.
Gee
Roar Rookie
No chance of DRS with 7 trying their best to dump it and Foxtel an unprofitable mess. And when 10 get it next on the cheap salaries will be cut across the board so even less resources to spend on the cash cow that has been milked dry.
Gary
Roar Rookie
Yeah, the bat hitting the ground observation was straight out of the Brian Taylor sound observations playbook. Thankfully it wasn't a game changer of a decision.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
"How some of these clowns get a crack at the big time is beyond me." Well, the reality is the BBL isn't the big time. Just like there's a fair amount of mediocrity in the playing ranks, the same goes for the umpiring.
Nick
Roar Guru
The average Australian cricket fan is as hypocritical as an American politician It's disgraceful. No class I say this as an Australian.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Is anyone else thinking there's potentially something else going on here? Normally when it's as obvious as that money has changed hands somewhere.