There are two types of review in the system, umpire review and player review.
1. Umpire Review In cases of run outs, stumpings, hit-wicket, bump balls, boundary decisions and cases of batsmen running to the same end, the umpire has the discretion to refer the decision to the third umpire or, in the case of clean catches, to consult with the third umpire before making the decision himself.
This is the referral system already in existence and is mostly used for line calls and boundary decisions.
2. Player Review: A player may request a review of any decision taken by the on-field umpires concerning whether a batsman is dismissed. No other decisions made by the umpires (such as wides, leg-byes etc) are eligible for a player review. It is not a referral system because the final decision remains with the on-field umpire – the decision is reviewed by, not referred to, the third umpire.
a. Who can ask for a player review? Only the dismissed batsman in an ‘out’ decision or the fielding captain (or acting captain) in a ‘not out’ decision.
b. How should they do it? The player should make a ‘T’ sign with one hand and one forearm and he should do so without undue delay. If the umpire feels the review was not requested promptly, he may decline to conduct the review. A player review may not be withdrawn once it has been requested.
c. Then what happens? Once a valid player review has been requested, the on-field umpire will initiate contact with the third umpire confirming that a review should take place. A full exchange of factual information should then take place between the third umpire and his on-field colleague to establish if there is any reason why the original decision should be changed.
If the third umpire, having reviewed the available technology, cannot answer a particular question posed by the on-field umpire with a high degree of confidence then he should report it to be ‘inconclusive’. He should not give answers conveying likelihoods or probabilities. Remember, the system is designed to eliminate obvious errors and it will not be possible to remove all doubt in all cases. In all cases of review, if the replays are inconclusive, the on-field umpire’s original decision, whether ‘out’ or ‘not out’, will stand.
d. What does ‘high degree of confidence’ mean specifically when viewing LBW decisions? When advising on LBW decisions, the requirement for a high degree of confidence should be interpreted as follows:
PITCHED – if the technology shows that the centre of the ball pitched outside leg stump then the decision will be NOT OUT.
IMPACT – if the technology shows that the centre of the ball was between wicket and wicket at the point of impact then it’s OUT (all other factors being in place of course). If the technology shows that no part of the ball was between wicket and wicket at the point of impact (and the batter was playing a stroke) then it’s NOT OUT. Otherwise, the on-field umpire’s original decision should not be changed.
WICKETS – if the technology shows that the centre of the ball would have hit the stumps within an area demarcated by a line drawn below the lower edge of the bails and down the middle of the outer stumps then it’s OUT (subject to the proviso below and all other factors being in place of course). If the technology shows that no part of the ball would have made contact with any part of the stumps or bails then it’s NOT OUT. Otherwise, the on-field umpire’s original decision stands.
Proviso: if the point of impact is greater than 250cm from the stumps, the third umpire will inform his on-field colleague of the exact distance, the approximate distance from the point of pitching to the point of impact and where the ball is predicted to hit the stumps. The on-field umpire will then apply the normal cricketing principles concerning levels of certainty in making his final decision.
e) What will the third umpire see? The following graphic is a compilation freeze frame of what the umpire will see when viewing the ball-tracking technology. It shows all three aspects of where the ball pitched (PITCHED), where it hit the batsman (IMPACT) and whether it is predicted to have hit or missed the stumps (WICKETS).
The decision
The on-field umpire will reverse his original decision if the information received from the third umpire leads him to conclude that it was incorrect. As such, the final decision will remain with the on-field umpire.
Number of Reviews
Each team is allowed to make two unsuccessful player review requests per innings. If the original decision of ‘out’ is upheld but for a different method of dismissal than the on-field umpire originally intended, then the review will still be regarded as being unsuccessful.
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