Whilst it is fair to say that the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS, or DRS, to you and I) has had its teething problems in international cricket, notably in the hands of such umpiring luminaries as Daryl Harper, it is undoubtedly a major part of the game’s future. Which is why India and the all powerful Board for Control of Cricket India’s decision to refuse its presence in the forthcoming of tour of England is, well, a little odd?
India - champions, but not of technology
For the technology to be utilised to question the decision making of the on-field umpires, both cricketing boards must agree to its use. For example, both the England and Wales Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket agreed that it would be used during the current England Vs Sri Lanka series.
The BCCI, however, is refusing to review its decision to use the reviewing technology. “Now with the BCCI not supporting the DRS, the ECB cannot force it on us,” said a member of the Indian board to ESPNcricinfo in a manner akin to that of a spoilt five year old that is used to getting its own way. ‘We don’t want it, therefore no one else can have it either’, basically. The BCCI is fast becoming one of those repugnant teenagers from My Super Sweet 16, the MTV show.
It is widely agreed that the BCCI yields too much power in the international game and its refusal to accept the DRS is a major blow to the International Cricket Council’s hopes of rolling it out across the board and into every format and competition. The ramifications could last a while, or, at least until Indian cricket crawls into the 21st Century to join the rest of the cricketing world.
Given that India has been so quick off the mark to drive the sweeping winds of change through cricket, the refusal to have anything to do with the DRS is baffling. India is at the forefront of Twenty20 cricket with its domineering Indian Premier League. Its international side is number one in Test and ODI cricket. So why the refusal to look forward, to embrace the change in the way that the on-field umpires referee the game?
India was, in fact, slow out of the blocks with Twenty20 cricket. The side sent to South Africa for the inaugural World Twenty20 Cup in 2007 was one of youth. It wasn’t taken too seriously by the BCCI. But then India won. Boom – the floodgates opened, Lalit Modi was born and cricket hasn’t quite been the same, for better or for worse, since.
If the Indian side is on the receiving end of one or two, preferably plenty, umpiring ‘howlers’ during the series in England and loses its number one ranking, it will be interesting to see Indian cricket’s reaction and subsequent position on the DRS system. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Dhoni, Tendulkar et al are of a different disposition then.
We can but hope…
By Miles Reucroft
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I think it’s up to the ICC to actually decide on what they want really, rather than allowing individual associations to vero technology.
That must mean ensuring consistency though. We need to make sure that Snicko, Hawkeye and the rest are in place at all Test match grounds. There won’t be any cricket trophies being won without problems until such time as an even surface is provided.