As an immediate fallout of the fiasco in the Brisbane Test where the umpires missed calling 21 front foot no-balls sent down by Pakistan bowlers in Australia’s first innings, the third umpire could be seen playing a greater role in no-ball adjudication, sooner rather than later.
“Over the next few months, the ICC is going to conduct some trials where the third umpire is going to call no-balls. The first series will be the India-WI T20 and ODI series starting Dec 6,” an ICC spokesman told Hindustan Times.
A major no-ball controversy erupted during last year’s IPL when on-field umpire S Ravi failed to spot when Lasith Malinga over-stepped delivering the last ball of the super over. It drew the ire of RCB and India captain Virat Kohli after his team lost. The IPL Governing Council meet this month took an in-principle decision to take ‘front foot no-ball’ calls away from the on-field umpires in the next edition.
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But despite IPL chairman Brijesh Patel’s comment that there would a separate umpire in IPL just to call no-balls, this duty too could be given to the TV umpire. “It will be the third umpire’s duty. There would be no need to have another umpire for this,” a leading IPL official said.
{{/usCountry}}But despite IPL chairman Brijesh Patel’s comment that there would a separate umpire in IPL just to call no-balls, this duty too could be given to the TV umpire. “It will be the third umpire’s duty. There would be no need to have another umpire for this,” a leading IPL official said.
{{/usCountry}}A number of umpires in off-record conversations admit they are unable to keep up with the routine of watching the no-ball line and look up to adjudge leg before decisions within a split second.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, in an interview to cricket.com.au, said: “If you look at some of the footage, it’s not that they are just over the line; in some, they are four-five inches over the line. This says to me that the umpires are not even looking at the front line. So, it’s obviously a directive from above to not worry so much about the front foot and be more worried about decisions down the other end. I don’t think that is right,” he said.
Ponting wants the TV umpire to take over. “I have said it forever. The cameras are set up sideways for that. You would think that would make the on-field umpire’s job easier if the front foot no-ball is taken off their hands.”
Former elite panel umpire Simon Taufel differs. “The job of the third umpire is already very busy and very complicated. Umpires should be encouraged to make decisions,” he was quoted as saying recently in the media.
If the trials give satisfactory results, the third umpire first introduced in 1992 just for run-outs could now turn into a very busy man—having to watch every delivery for the no-ball apart from DRS duties.
During the trial period, ICC will be looking out for the turnaround time when the TV umpire spots the no-ball based on the evidence made available to him and the decision being relayed to on-field officials.