Calls For Umpire Referal Sysytem To Be Made Compulsory

FICA Supports Calls For Umpire Referal Sysytem To Be Made Compulsory Across All Test Series

5 August 2010

Federation of International Cricketers' Associations' (FICA) Chief Executive, Tim May backed the recent comments from Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Virender Sehwag and recently retired Umpire Rudi Koertzen calling for the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) to be applied during all Test Series.

"Back in May earlier this year, the ICC's Cricket Committee, of which I am a member of, made a recommendation to the ICC's Chief Executive's Committee that the UDRS should be used in all Tests in all Series"

"This is a recommendation that was strongly supported by players that FICA represents".

"Unfortunately the ICC Chief Executive Committee did not adopt this recommendation. It preferred to provide Boards discretion to use the technology from series to series, because of concerns re funding of the technology and opposition from some Boards re the acceptance of the UDRS.

"The players are aware that the system isn't 100% perfect, and may not deliver 100% accuracy, but believe that its introduction has resulted in an improved number of correct decisions and the eradication of the "obvious" incorrect decision.

"The UDRS was introduced to Test cricket primarily as a means of addressing the blatantly incorrect decision - we believe that it has been very successful at achieving that objective.

"Test Cricket must be played on a consistent basis from country to country and from series to series. It is unfair and confusing to players, spectators, broadcasters, sponsors and the fans watching at home on television, if one series is played under the URDS system and the next system without.

"We must also put ourselves in the shoes of the Umpires - it must be incredibly difficult for them to umpire from Series to Series without any continuity of the UDRS

"We do understand that some countries may have some funding issues with providing the minimum, and we have a level of understanding with such concerns, but FICA do not understand why ICC has given the visiting team the discretion to reject the technology that the Home Board will provide.

"It essentially says that countries can do what they like. Its time this issue is controlled centrally and applied consistently - it's a cricket Regulation - it should be constant across all series and not accepted or rejected on some discretionary basis

"The ICC needs to adopt a firm policy - its either applicable in all Tests or none.

"Giving discretion to Boards to decide whether to use this system or not, is an invitation for inconsistency and confusion - and that's where we are at the moment.