India concede on DRS for series – but no Hawk-Eye yet
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Your support makes all the difference.India were persuaded yesterday into a compromise on umpire referrals in international matches. They agreed to the use of a Decision Review System, although their climbdown was not quite the unfettered triumph for the policy the International Cricket Council indicated.
The DRS, already unanimously recommended by the council's cricket committee, will now proceed without Hawk-Eye, the predictive ball-tracking technology which has been an integral part in determining lbw dismissals. India claim not to be convinced by its accuracy. But hot-spot TV cameras and the snickometer, presumably no less susceptible to error, will be used.
A statement from the ICC after its chief executives' committee met in Hong Kong said: "The CEC also agreed that further independent and expert research will be carried out into ball-tracking technology and its accuracy and reliability. The continued use of ball-tracking technology as a decision-making aid will depend on bilateral agreement between the participating members."
The upshot is that DRS, without Hawk-Eye, will be used in the forthcoming England-India Test series.
Agenda
The ICC's chief executives' committee made a number of recommendations to go forward to the executive board, who will meet over the next two days. If ratified, they will come into effect from the start of October. They include:
* The use of two balls in one-day cricket and the barring of runners
* A qualification process for the 2015 World Cup (no recommendation made on the number of teams that should compete in the event, to be held in Australia and New Zealand)
* Restriction of powerplays in ODIs to between the 16th and 40th overs, plus the use of two new balls per innings (one from each end)
* The use of runners in all international cricket could also be abolished while team captains may face stricter sanctions for slow over-rates
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