ICC to use front foot no-ball tech in England-Pakistan tests

Front foot no-ball technology will be used for the first time on a trial basis in test cricket during the three-match series between England and Pakistan starting later on Wednesday, the International Cricket Council has said.

The responsibility to call no-balls when a bowler oversteps the mark currently lies with on-field umpires, but under the new system the TV umpire will monitor the landing foot after each ball and communicate to the umpires whether it was a legal delivery.

"Front foot no-ball technology to be used in ICC World Test Championship series featuring England and Pakistan, with the support of both teams," the world governing body tweeted.

"Performance of the technology in these tests will be reviewed before any decisions taken on its future use in test cricket."

The ICC has already conducted successful trials of the technology across men's 50-over international matches while it was also used at the women's Twenty20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year.

However, the governing body wants to ascertain the benefits of its use in the longest format of the game before deciding whether to widen its use.

England will host Pakistan in the three-test series at bio-secure venues in Manchester and Southampton.