Australia-England ODIs to use umpire reviews

[DexteR]

Players will be able to challenge umpiring decisions in one-day cricket for the first time this Sunday, as Australia and England trial the decision review system in the lead-up to the World Cup. Despite the BCCI's continued opposition to the UDRS, it will be used for the duration of the World Cup, which starts on the subcontinent on February 19.

Hot Spot is likely to only be available for the final stages, as there are not enough Hot Spot cameras to be sent to all the pool matches. Until now, the UDRS has only been used in Test cricket, but it relies on the boards of both countries agreeing, and only four of the past ten Test series have featured umpire reviews.

However, the ICC is keen to see the system implemented in as many series as possible, and has encouraged countries to test it in bilateral ODI series before the World Cup. The Australia-England matches will be the first one-day games to include reviews, with teams expected to be allowed two incorrect referrals per innings as in Test matches.

The third-umpire duties for the seven-match series will be shared between Billy Bowden, Tony Hill, Asad Rauf and Marais Erasmus - all members of the ICC's elite panel who will then go on to the World Cup. The UDRS has been used in Tests since 2008, and the ICC cricket committee will evaluate its long-term viability after the World Cup.

The UDRS was introduced in an effort to remove umpiring howlers from the game, and it has taken players some time to work out how best to use the system without wasting their chances. During the recent Ashes series, Australia and England each asked for 20 referrals, with England having eight decisions overturned and Australia seven.

By the end of the series, the players were much less hasty with their reviews, and the Sydney Test featured only one referral by each team. At the Gabba and the Adelaide Oval, the teams requested a combined 11 reviews, and the number peaked at 12 during Australia's victory in the third Test at the WACA.

However, the use of the system was not without incident. Australia's captain Ricky Ponting was fined for a prolonged debate with the umpires at the MCG, where he felt that Hot Spot had showed Kevin Pietersen edged the ball, but the third official did not interpret the vision the same way.

[Sadaf Gondal]

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