Lanka joins the DRS club
Sri Lanka has officially joined the permanent DRS club with the signing of the current TV deal which is effective till 2020.
According to SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, the deal contains a clause which binds the official TV provider to bear all costs of the Umpires Decision Review System (DRS).
Explaining the modalities of the system, he said, “The TV deal came into effect from April, though all formalities of the signing of the
There were many disputes between the umpires and the players during the last Ashes series in England
deal was only completed last week. However the facility was not provided by them for the series against New Zealand as it contained only a few matches. But hereafter we are going to insist that the facility should be provided for all inbound tours.”
Ranatunga said the agreement outlines only the basic features of the DRS. “Ten Sports will provide the facility with no cost to the SLC. However they would provide only two basic features — the Hot Spot and the Virtual Eye.”
The DRS was first tired out in Sri Lanka by the ICC in 2008. The first match under the new system was a Test match against India which began on July 23, 2008 – a match the hosts won by an innings and 239 runs. In that series the DRS system helped the Lankans to dominate the game in such a manner that it led to the Indian cricket authorities to severe all links with the system. India’s opposition stands as a stumbling block between the ICC and the regularisation of the system.
The ICC clause says the system could only be put into effect in a series with the consent of the respective boards.
Though the system was introduced to cut down on the umpiring mistakes, it came into a lot of criticism during the last Ashes series played in England and a result the ICC decided to increase the calls from two per inning to two per every eighty overs during a Test match.
Now the ongoing Ashes series in Australia is played with the aid of the latest development in the system. The ICC confirmed that Real-Time Snickometer (RTS) will be part of the DRS during the Ashes series.
The ICC explained: “The decision-making technology that will be used as part of the Nine Network’s coverage of the Ashes includes Virtual Eye (ball tracking technology), Hot Spot and RTS.
“Both Virtual Eye and Hot Spot are on the list of approved DRS technologies and can be used by TV umpires in any series in which they are available. The RTS is not yet on the list, but the ICC began the process of evaluating it for inclusion following the ICC meeting of Chief Executives of the member countries in September, where broad support was shown for the new technology. To assist with this evaluation, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board agreed to use the RTS as part of the DRS during the Ashes series.”
However for Sri Lanka it would be awhile before Ten Sports could come up with the facility. Sri Lanka’s next inbound tour will be in November 2014 when they take on England for five ODIs and 2 T20s.
Previously Sri Lanka did not adopt the system in some of the series played here because of the costs factor.