Cricket Australia is at odds with India after strongly supporting the use of the Decision Review System (DRS) for all international matches. Currently, the DRS can be used in a series when agreed by both teams. However the Indian board (BCCI) opposes the system, and has already flat-batted this week’s recommendation from the ICC’s cricket committee that the technology should be used in all Test, one-day and Twenty20 international matches.
The ICC’s executive board will meet from June 26-30 in Hong Kong, where a decision will be made on the committee’s recommendation. “My personal view is strongly in support of DRS,” Cricket Australia (CA) boss James Sutherland said on Friday. “At this stage, in spite of the recommendation of the cricket committee, it does need to go through other bodies within the ICC in order for that to become an absolute requirement.
“I’m conscious of that, but certainly from a CA perspective, we would be very keen for DRS to be in place for all international cricket.” BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said there were many controversial decisions in the 2011 World Cup on the subcontinent, and he questioned the accuracy of the DRS technology. “We’d rather go by the traditional role of using the umpire. We continue to trust them,” he said.
India play a Test series in Australia this summer, evoking memories of the Sydney Test of January 2008, when much posturing and complaining from the Indian players indicated their trust in the on-field officials was at a low point.
“It’s something you’d have to ask the BCCI, but we all got a fair insight into that during the World Cup, where the DRS system was in place for the World Cup, and that was in India,” Sutherland added on Friday.
While India managed to beat Sri Lanka in the Mumbai final on April 2, the World Cup champions were fortunate the DRS was in use to save their star batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the semi-final against Pakistan on March 30.
Tendulkar was given out lbw for 23 by umpire Ian Gould. India requested a review, which showed the ball was spinning down legside, and Tendulkar went on to score 85.
The DRS was first used in Tests in 2008 when India toured Sri Lanka in a series the hosts won 2-1. Sri Lanka showed a better understanding of the system, making 11 successful reviews to India’s one, according to Cricinfo website.
