Out, Not Out

The umpire review system has been fully utilised in today's play and has highlighted an issue that will raise it's head more and more until it is addressed. Should technology be used in umpiring?

Run outs, unless by half the pitch are seldom adjudicated by the on field umpires. That transition was almost seamless. As soon as the technology was available it became almost common practise for the call to be made upstairs. The review system was brought into the game to eliminate the howlers but is more and more used to decide the close calls.

For me the decision must be taken away from the players altogether.

The umpire should be the only ones to ask for a review. If he is uncertain if the batsmen hit the ball or it pitched outside leg then he should be able to call upstairs for confirmation. The way it is at the moment is almost a joke. The umpires should not be proven wrong rather they should ask for assistance.

At the moment the umpires confidence is being shot with every wrong call. How difficult must it be to detect a faint edge that Hotspot shows up so glaringly? That is not a mistake. Don't even get me started on Eagle Eye.

The technology should only be there so the umpire can confirm that what he saw was correct. Not for reversals due to a technicality and definitely not so a batsmen can clutch at straws.