Dhoni gets support from Aussie captain

Colombo: It seems Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not the only player who has reservations about the use of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS).

The Indian skipper’s views were echoed by Ricky Ponting, on Friday. “There have been different views on the same in the last few days. The main reason for that being the different interpretations by the umpires on what’s right and what’s not,” the Australian captain said.

Dhoni was unhappy with an LBW decision against Ian Bell that went in England’s favour during their match last Sunday. The middle-order batsman was ruled not out by on-field umpire Billy Bowden as well as the third umpire, despite television replays showing that the ball had pitched in line of the stumps.

The decision proved crucial as Bell, who was on 17 when the incident took place, eventually went on to score 69. The match was tantalisingly poised till it finally ended in a thrilling tie.

Ponting believed using the UDRS without the hot spot was the root cause behind all the trouble.

“ The distance where the ball hits and how far it has to travel before it hits the stumps, those sorts of things are vital… At the start of the tournament, when we found out they (the ICC) are using the UDRS without the hot spot, it was a bit of a shock for us. I think the hot spot should be a part of the system,” Ponting insisted.

The Aussie skipper also denied having been briefed about the technicalities of the UDRS by the ICC.

Incidentally, the BCCI had to step in after ICC general manager David Richardson criticised Dhoni for his comments after the Bangalore incident. Ponting, however, doused the flames by adding: “You always have to understand that it is not going to be perfect. But at the end of the day, we will still be getting more correct decisions that will be good for the game.”


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Replays on giant screen a potential tinderbox

The debate is already on about the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), after what transpired at the Chinnaswamy stadium, where the television umpire declined to overturn a leg before decision against Ian Bell in India’s favour despite Hawkeye showing the ball hitting middle stump.

What is more important to think for a moment is what, thankfully, didn’t happen in that jam-packed 41,000-seater on Sunday night. A decision unexpectedly going against India, that too after a series of replays on the giant screen, is a potential disaster waiting to happen. The last thing the ICC would want after the stadium and ticket fiasco is a crowd trouble disrupting a game. What if it was a knockout game instead of a harmless league game? What if India had lost?

It is difficult for a partisan fan to understand the 2.5-metre clause in the UDRS, which states that if the point of impact is more than 2.5 meters from the stumps, the decision remains in the hands of the on-field umpire. So why show the blue line or Hawkeye on the giant screen?

Colin Gibson, the ICC’s head of media and communications, says, “From the ICC’s perspective, they don’t consider the fans sitting at the stadium any less informed than the ones sitting at home. So it’s important for them to know what happened in the replay.”

The rules about the UDRS are such to allow the on-field umpire some oxygen even as technology creeps in to shadow their existence. MS Dhoni and other skippers may have to give the UDRS a fair go before forming a strong opinion.

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