…series
Once again the big fa*** at ICC have decided against using technology which I feel is a necessary step to ensure less controversy in cricket.
The proposed trial of umpire referrals won’t take place during the England-South Africa Test series in July after the boards failed to agree on the finer details.
There is unease among the players about testing the system in such a high-profile series and continued concerns about undermining the on-field umpires. The next possible series to use the technology, which will include Hawk-Eye, would be the India-Sri Lanka series in later July.
The inventors of Hawk-Eye, led by Paul Hawkins, have tested the accuracy of the system and claim it has a margin of error of just 5mm. However, the ICC have decided that only the tracking part of the software will be used, up to the point the ball hits the pad, rather than the predictive element of the package. This will make decisions involving whether the batsman has been hit in line with off stump, or where the ball has pitched, more clear, **but leaves it in the umpires’ jurisdiction to judge the path of the ball towards the stumps. ***
When the system is finally trialled, each side will be allowed three unsuccessful referrals per innings. **A similar system was used during last year’s Friends Provident Trophy, but didn’t find favour among players or umpires. **None of the 11 referrals were overturned by the third umpire and there was a feeling that the TV official didn’t want to overrule his colleagues. **
http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvrsa/content/current/story/353934.html](http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvrsa/content/current/story/353934.html)
- i.e. bias will remain! but atleast something is better than nothing
**** **Again a biased or hesitant third umpire could easily overrule three close line decisions denying a side a fourth genuine referral. The last sentence in the article merely confirms that.