JOIN USWhile Australia and South Africa gave their nod for the concept, India, after a disastrous experimentation with the system in the Test series against Sri Lanka in 2009, have been reluctant to use UDRS in their matches. Despite the varied reactions, the International Cricket Council has decided to employ the technology in the 2011 World Cup.
However, the purpose of having UDRS in place was defeated once Warren Brennan, patent holder of the Hot Spot Technology, expressed apprehensions to bring the expensive equipments used in the device, citing logistical hazards and the reluctance of Indian authorities.
“The risks involved are just too big for us. There are a range of companies who haven’t been paid for services they provided to the Commonwealth Games, but also had their equipment impounded. The Indians have come up with every possible excuse in the book for why it happened. It’s a nightmare for us,” Brennan had said.
Without the Hot Spot, Snicko and Hawk-Eye, which tracks the path of the ball, it’s impossible to judge perfectly whether the ball had contact with the bat, hence the UDRS has been rendered a powerless entity in caught behind decisions, especially when faint edges are involved.
That glitch was glaring when the umpires employed UDRS to determine whether Australian skipper Ricky Ponting edged a leg-side delivery from New Zealand pacer Tim Southee to stumper Brendon McCullum at Nagpur on Friday. Asad Rauf, the third umpire for that match, could not conclusively decide whether Ponting edged the ball without Hot Spot or Snicko for help, prompting them to give the benefit of doubt to the batsman.
The only area where UDRS could play a useful role is in leg-before decisions where the available technology can determine the possible impact of the ball. It’s impossible to tell with the present technology whether the ball contacted the bat before hitting the pads. Mahela Jayawardene, the Lankan vice-captain, supported the use of Hot Spot and Snicko while pointing out the flip side of using inconclusive technology.
“I think they don’t have Hot Spot, and that's probably the downside to it (UDRS). I don't think they have Snicko either. I am a big fan of the UDRS, I think if we have technology and if we can use it in a certain way we should. I think you need to make sure that fair decisions are being made and we need to help the umpires especially because in the conditions it's not easy for them to make correct decisions all the time. There's more technology possible and we should use that,” Jayawardene said.