After on-field umpires miss out on spotting 21 no-balls from Pakistan bowlers on Day 2 of the just-concluded Brisbane Test, the talks of separate umpire for adjudicating no-ball cropped up.
And now a report published in Hindustan Times claims that the third umpire could be seen playing a greater role in no-ball decision, 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.
WATCH - Umpires miss out on spotting 21 no balls from Pakistan bowlers on day two
During the IPL 2019, a no-ball controversy had grabbed the headlines when Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Lasith Malinga overstepped by a big margin in the last delivery of the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) but no call came from umpire S Ravi.
Later, the replays confirmed the no-ball but the decision wasn't overturned as both sets of players had already walked off the field with RCB being at the receiving end of umpire’s blunder in a closely contested affair.
The IPL Governing Council had a meeting this month and took an in-principle decision to take ‘front foot no-ball’ calls away from the on-field umpires in the next season.
Although IPL chairman Brijesh Patel’s had said that there would a separate umpire in IPL just to call no-balls, this task 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 quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
A number of umpires in off-record conversation had confessed that they find it to difficult to keep up with the routine of spotting no-ball and look up to adjudge LBW calls within a split second.
If the trials provide satisfactory results, the third umpire’s role will become more significant – having to watch every delivery for the no-ball besides performing DRS duties.
During the trial period, ICC will be looking out for the turnaround time when the third umpire spots the no-ball based on the evidence made available to him and the verdict being relayed to on-field officials.
(Inputs from Hindustan Times)
