ICC plan for umpires and technology to meet in the middle

Slow-motion replays could be used to rule on lbw appeals and catches in the 2003 World Cup. If the unprecedented use of technology is approved it would change the way all international cricket is conducted.

But the proposal depends on how the initial experiment works during the Inter-national Cricket Council (ICC) knockout tournament in Sri Lanka in September. If that is a failure other ideas will be examined to embrace the available television technology in a different way.

"There is naturally some apprehension about what we are doing in Sri Lanka," said David Richardson, the ICC's general manager (cricket). "It is not the intention that all decisions are made with the aid of television replay and machine, so that in effect we have robot umpiring.

"We have issued pretty detailed guidelines to the umpires, those in the middle and the ones looking after the TV replay, about what to refer and not to refer. We don't want them consulting over everything, and the important thing is that they alone make the final decision. We want to keep them working."

Although the ICC recognise that they had to try to expand the use of gizmos some time – and the tournament in Sri Lanka was an ideal opportunity – they are also aware that such aids are not foolproof. They must also consider that if top-quality slow motion is not available for all matches it may not be worthwhile.

"It is crucial that there are high production values and proper camera angles, otherwise they can only cloud matters," said Richardson. "At the moment we are not convinced that production values everywhere are high enough to make decisions clear-cut. It could be that we decide to have this expanded technology only in our own tournaments, where we know it is."

The trouble for the ICC is that it will be difficult to go back to the old way once spectators – as well as players and umpires in the middle – have become accustomed to new ones. Slow motion, especially on catches, is frequently inconclusive, and constant referrals may simply interrupt the flow of the game.

"It's quite funny how things have changed round since we took this step," said Richardson. "Television replays have obviously been putting pressure on umpires to get it right. Now the producers are saying the pressure is on them." There has been some confusion about what is being allowed in the Sri Lankan experiment. Umpires in the middle are being allowed to refer appeals for leg before if they have doubts over where a delivery pitched or whether a batsman edged it on to his pad. And they can ask if a ball carried for a catch.

But they will not be able to call upon Hawkeye, the revolutionary device which tracks the ball's trajectory using the sort of technology developed for missile guidance systems. The onus will remain on the man in the middle to make the final decision.

"If it goes well there will be an emergency meeting of the ICC cricket committee and we'll then have a similar level of consultation in the World Cup," said Richardson.

If it does not work, the ICC will consider other suggestions. One which is on Rich- ardson's desk and to which he seems well disposed has come from the England coach, Duncan Fletcher. This is to allow the fielding side to ask for a certain number of referrals in each innings. Once their quota has been used up they would be allowed only the usual appeals. Fletcher is convinced that it might stop much unnecessary appealing.

Richardson said expanding the use of television had to improve decision-making while not badly interfering with the umpire in the middle's state of mind.