It’s a pity that the umpire referral system will not be used in this series. The Indians came off second best in this system in Sri Lanka but that was simply because they had not got the hang of it and used it with emotion than cricketing sense. That can happen when a team is not doing well and is under pressure so it appeals for anything and everything. Mahela Jaywardene on the other hand was cool and calculated and used the referral system only when he was pretty sure that the appeal would go his side’s way and so had a better percentage than Anil Kumble. On pitches that will help spin and with fielders surrounding the batsman, the system would have been a big help in defusing potential confrontation situations and that’s why it is a pity that it wont be used in this series. Not many “walk” these days and that can lead to a feeling of frustration if the reprieved player goes on to play a match turning innings as happened last season. That’s why Anil Kumble is unlikely to agree to a pact about taking a fielders word for catches taken close to the ground. When a team is desperate to win these pacts go out of the window as was evident a few months ago and in any case its strange logic to accept that a player who stays when he knows he is out is going to be honest about catches he has taken near the turf. It would be foolhardy to accept such a player’s word. It means zilch and the excuse given will be that he was playing hard and not trying to cheat. Of course, and the sun rises from the West too!
Source: Dream Cricket
Why exactly have the referrals been excluded from this series? If I remember, the last time ICC came out with, it needed more time to ‘think this through’ (or something along those lines). I thought this would have been a reasonably okay opportunity to put it in action especially after the last series (India/Sri Lanka).
