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Cricket World Cup 2023: Ball hitting the stumps is 'out' and ICC must remove 'umpire's call'

The use of technology was necessitated to offset 'human error' by umpire’s. Umpire’s call obfuscates this

A couple of controversial decisions in the match between Pakistan and South Africa on Friday, has sparked off furore in the cricket world about the usefulness of the Decision Review System (DRS) and the validity of 'umpire’s call' in the sport.

Pakistan, fighting hard to stay in the hunt for a place in the semifinal, had their hopes of winning the match quashed by the `umpire’s call’ when Haris Rauf appeared to have caught tail-ender Tabraiz Shamsi in front of the stumps with an express delivery.

Pakistan had come back into the game quite superbly, defending a modest 270, with excellent bowling and energetic fielding, to pluck out the dangerous South African middle order and put the tail under enormous pressure.

I have been critical of Pakistan’s performances in this tournament, and more so of skipper Babar Azam for his namby-pamby leadership.

But in this match, while the batting was disappointing again, the team showed tenacity and ambition in the field, and Babar was astute in tactics, making clever bowling changes, setting the right fields to turn the game around when all looked lost.

The incident took place in the 46th over, with the Proteas nine wickets down and still needing a few.to win, which Keshav Maharaj, Shamsi’s partner in the middle, got with a boundary in the pulsating climax.

Pakistan had reason to feel aggrieved when the umpire had turned down their appeal. Skipper Babar, after confabulating with some teammates, he asked for a review. Replays showed the ball grazing the leg stump. Two red lights went up, but the third didn’t indicate that the surface area of the ball which hit the stump was insufficient to overturn the decision, leaving the matter to be resolved by the 'umpire’s call’, which went against Pakistan.

To Babar’s credit, he didn’t let disappointment make him intemperate or bitter. Post match, he said that 'umpire’s call is part of the game, and applies to all teams, so Pakistan will have to take it in their stride.

The fact that Rassie van der Dussen was also a victim of 'umpire’s call’ earlier in the match – albeit in a different manner, for he was given out, and DRS negated his review will have undoubtedly influenced Babar’s sentiments. But this did not allay concerns of former players about how the concept of `umpire’s call’ was leaving cricket open to needless controversy and ill-feeling.

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and former South African captain Graeme Smith, while supporting Pakistan and South Africa respectively in the two incidents that occurred in the match, were in agreement that the villainy was provided by ignoring the direct evidence of technology, leaving the decision to subjective interpretation.

"If the ball is hitting the stump that’s out whether umpire gave out or not out doesn’t matter.. otherwise what is the use of technology??? ‘’, tweeted Harbhajan after the match. Smith agreed with him.

‘’I feel the same as you on umpires call,’’ he tweeted while highlighting that Van der Dussen too had been a victim.

Both players urged the ICC to review the merit of `umpire’s call’, which the sport’s apex body has said it will.

In my view, the 'umpire’s call'’ needs to be removed forthwith. The use of technology was necessitated to offset 'human error' by umpire’s. Umpire’s call obfuscates this.

For instance, there is no 'umpire’s call' in case of a a batsman getting a faint edge, or being run out by a few mm. What technology shows is what stands. Why should it be different only in the case of LBWS despite technology showing the ball has hit the stumps?