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Cricket Referrals


Category Sci & Tech
This post was published on Sunday 1 March 2009.

I enjoy listening to Test Match Special (TMS) on BBC Radio 4 - usually.   During the current test series there has been a lot of fuss about the new referrals system, which is cricket’s attempt at using modern technology to ensure accuracy in umpiring decisions.

They seem to me to be making a bit of a shambles of it.   They have got a mix of the implementation of technology in tennis and in rugby - the teams can question an umpiring decision that they disagree with.

This seems to me to be a nonsense.   In rugby, the umpire makes the final decision - and has the option of referring it to the video referee if he has any doubt.   This would seem to me to be the best way of implementing technology in cricket as well.   The referee’s decision is final - but if he has a doubt about (say) an LBW or a run-out, he can ask the fourth official.

Then the teams have no say in it.   The umpires always have the final say - just like in rugby.