WATCH | Nasser Hussain’s Brilliant Explainer on Umpire’s Call Resurfaces After Ben Stokes’ Criticism

England skipper Ben Stokes’ call to scrap the ‘Umpire Call’ in the Decision Review System (DRS) after his team’s loss to India in the 3rd Test at Rajkot by a huge 434-run margin, has triggered a lot of reaction from fans and experts alike. The allrounder commented after England opener Zak Crawley was dismissed in the second innings of the Test trapped in front by Jasprit Bumrah. The decision eventually went upstairs. Stokes was also seen asking for clarification from match referee Jeff Crowe, alongside head coach Brendon McCullum about the decision, and he commented Umpire’s Call after the match.

“My personal opinion is if the ball is hitting the stumps, it is hitting the stumps. They should take away ‘umpire’s call’ if I’m being perfectly honest. I don’t want to get too much into it because it sounds like we are moaning and saying that is why we lost the Test match,” said Stokes.

While England might have been at the receiving end of the Umpire’s call reviews a couple of times in the series, notably Crawley being in the thick of things in the 2nd Test at Vizag also, Stokes’ view on the Umpire’s call decision do not have many buyers.

Former England captain and noted cricket analyst Nasser Hussain in March 2021 had explained the need for Umpire’s call during DRS reviews and the importance of having the element in during all referrals when then Indian skipper Virat Kohli had stated something similar to what Stokes had mentioned after the Rajkot Test.

In a video for SkySports Hussain explained that the statement that if the ball is hitting the stumps then it is out is not valid essentially because the ball has never hit the stumps – it is only a prediction. That is why you need the margin of error for the technology and that is where the Umpire’s call comes into play and is vital in every DRS decision.

What the video here for better understanding:

Here’s what the ICC defines the Umpire’s call as:

As per the ICC playing conditions, “Umpire’s Call is the concept within the DRS under which the on-field decision of the bowler’s end umpire shall stand, which shall apply under the specific circumstances… where the ball-tracking technology indicates a marginal decision in respect of either the Impact Zone or the Wicket Zone.

It further adds, “Some part of the ball was inside the Impact Zone, but the centre of the ball was outside the Impact Zone, with the further sub-category of ‘Umpire’s Call (off side)’ where the centre of the ball was to the off side of the Impact Zone and the bowler’s end umpire communicates to the third umpire that no genuine attempt to play the ball was made by the batter.”

In simple terms, if there’s a doubt whether the ball would have actually hit the stump (when it’s marginally hitting a stick or bails) then then the original call made by the on-field umpire will stay.

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