[Jonas]

India block umpire decision review system in Test series in England

India have blocked the use of the umpire decision review system during this summer’s Test series against England under pressure from their senior players.

The Board for Cricket Control in India sent official notification to the England and Wales Cricket Board that it does not want the system to be used in the four-Test series.
Under International Cricket Council regulations the system can only be used with the consent of both boards. India’s senior men, including Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, have made it clear they do not trust the technology, enabling the BCCI to flex its considerable political muscle and win a concession for its leading stars.
It is a blow for Graeme Swann, who acknowledged during last winter’s Ashes tour the benefit he has gained from the technology. Of his 138 wickets, 29.71 per cent have been lbw, the second highest proportion of any bowler in Test history.
In the past, traditional finger spinners would have been lucky to get one lbw decision in every 20 appeals. Now with the DRS system consistently proving umpires incorrect when giving not-out decisions, that ratio has changed to about one in five.
India’s batsmen have grown up thinking they can kick away off-spinners on turning pitches without the fear of being given out lbw. But with Andrew Strauss now far more astute with his use of appeals, that tactic would have been dangerous this summer with the DRS system.
“The reason India do not want it is because it will favour our bowlers,” said John Emburey, the former England off-spinner. “It [DRS] has been massive for spinners because they are now getting wickets against batsmen playing on the front foot coming forward. It’s a massive advantage to the spinner. The system has shown balls would go on to hit the stumps and umpires have now got it in their minds that they can now give batsmen out.”
Emburey’s own career statistics show how the pre-DRS generation of off-spinners had little joy with umpires. He took 147 Test wickets but only 16 were lbw, some 10.88 per cent of his total dismissals.
“What DRS has done is make batsmen play with their bat rather than hide behind the pad which gives bowlers more chances of edges and catches because they have to play at the ball,” he said.
In May the ICC’s cricket committee recommended the use of DRS in all forms of the game. There are moves for this to be implemented at the board’s annual meeting later in June but convincing India will be tough.
Dhoni has been vocal in his opposition, particularly after Ian Bell was given not out by DRS during a World Cup match in Bangalore. Hawk-Eye showed the ball hitting the stumps but Bell was more than 2.5 metres down the pitch when he was hit, at which point the tracking system is deemed unreliable and the on-field umpire makes the call. Dhoni was baffled by the decision. “The adulteration of technology with human thinking meant we didn’t get that wicket,” he said.

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