The third umpire should be the final arbiter under the Decision Review System (DRS) and a specialist third umpire to make tech-oriented calls, said Ian Taylor, head of ball-tracking technology manufacturing company, Virtual Eye
The third umpire should be the "final arbiter" under the Decision Review System (DRS) and a "specialist third umpire" to make tech-oriented calls, said Ian Taylor, head of ball-tracking technology manufacturing company,
Virtual Eye.
|
| Case in point: The Hawk-Eye LBW review against Ireland's Alex Cusack as shown on the screen of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore during the World Cup match between India and Ireland recently. Australian umpire Rod Tucker initially ruled Cusack not out off Yuvraj Singh, but after a review appeal by India, later reversed his decision and gave the batsman out even though the point of impact of the ball was more than 2.5 metres from the stumps. pic/getty images |
According to Taylor, while there is enough technology at the third umpire's disposal for him to make the right call, this has also created the need for a specialised professional to execute the role.
"I do believe that the third umpire should be the final arbiter on the DRS. He has some very sophisticated tools at his disposal ufffd the hot spot, slow motion cameras, ball tracking, etc ufffd and he will have far more to work with than the umpire on the field or indeed the players," Taylor told MiD DAY from Dunedin, New Zealand.
"Our job as technology providers is to give that person the best tools we can, give him the confidence to trust them and aim to make sure that he has no need to over rule the technology," he added.
Virtual Eye has supplied ball-tracking technology for various cricket series including the recent Ashes series, while HawkEye is the tech supplier to the ongoing World Cup.
Taylor also felt there was a need of specialist third umpires. "The third umpire should be able to take all the information he has at his fingertips on a review and then make a call. This would mean that we might need to look at specialist third umpires, who know exactly how the technology works and what to look for, quickly. Just because you are a great on-field umpire, does not mean you are suited for using the modern technology that is available. That is a specialist job too," he said.
Taylor believed the DRS is here to stay. "It would be a pity if India continue to oppose it (DRS), but it makes little difference to us as providers," he said.
"The technology will not go away and, as was the case in New Zealand versus Pakistan series (where the DRS was not used) it became clear that there is more to be gained from using it than from not using it."
