Australian captain Ricky Ponting has expressed his displeasure over the Decision Review System that was recently introduced to the game. The latest close dismissals review system was found not up the mark by the skipper who feels that the umpiring errors have not lessened even after its implementation at the current test series against West Indies.
Ponting was stunned at the recent not out granted to Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the West Indian who was dismissed off the field despite video results clearly suggesting otherwise. He commented on the matter after first-day’s play at Adelaide, “The new system was meant to stop this sort of thing happening but it didn’t.” Chanderpaul was appealed for a dismissal at 38 when he seemed to have nipped the delivery to the wicket-keeper. He was ruled out by the umpire, Mark Benson, which led Ponting to call for a review.
Contrary to Ponting’s belief, the third umpire also ruled Chanderpaul not out and backed Benson’s decision. He did not feel satisfied and later went up to the fourth umpire, Bruce Oxford, during the drinks break. Before approaching the third umpire, Ponting had spoken to Benson and enquired why Chenderpaul had not been given out. “I wanted to know why the appeal had been turned down. I was keen to find out what technology had been used to make the decision because the umpires on the field had not been told,” Ponting later said.
“We didn’t know what hotspot had shown or whether they had used snicko because there was definitely a noise. Hotspot will only show a mark on the bat if the edge is facing towards the camera,” Ponting further explained. It also be noted that Chris Gayle, the West Indian skipper also criticized the review system after the first test. Along with them, the Indian Cricket Board has also stood up against the system.
The referral system in cricket still has a long way to go and needs more improvements. Unlike tennis, where the ball can be clearly voted in or out, the system for cricket has lots of grey areas to cover up.