How does cricket technology help?

Cricket has seen a major increase in technology in recent times. Television viewers have enjoyed the luxury of seeing each ball analyzed using a variety of different technologies. In our eyes it is not only entertaining but also the latest tool used to measure a cricketer's abilities to master the sport. The ICC however feels that these new technologies need not be used to help umpires make decisions on field. Like many others, I do not agree entirely with the ICC's decision. Many of the new technologies may not be entirely accurate. But older technologies such as instant replay combined with certain advanced tools of analysis could be used to provide accurate results.

When television coverage was introduced to cricket, instant replay was widely used. For viewers it was something that could eat away the time before the next ball was bowled. Over the years instant replay has become a major tool of analysis and one which could be used to criticize decisions made by players as well as officials. Judging run outs was a major problem. One could not expect an Umpire to keep both eyes on the stumps and the crease simultaneously in full speed. This brought in a 3rd Umpire. In today's game however with technology readily available, the ICC needs to expand this technology beyond run outs alone. Viewers in many cases can tell if an LBW was given as the right decision within less than a minute. Two replays from two angles are all we need to analyze the Umpire's decision. Certain balls are so straight forward that the Umpire should not miss it. However certain deliveries which come in from the off and pitch on leg can be analyzed correctly by just using the instant video replay. This just recreates what the on field umpires saw except that the umpire now sees it in slow motion. This is the best system as it will not use any type of simulated technology to influence the umpire's final decision.

The latest technology which has entertained viewers is hawkeye. This technology has not been proven to be one hundred percent accurate. For this reason I think the ICC is justified in not using this technology during international games. Some may argue that hawkeye is used in Grandslam tennis. However professional tennis players are not entirely satisfied with the results. 3-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal was on the receiving end of hawkeye's flaws. At the 2007 Dubai Tennis Championships, Mikhail Youzhny played in a match against Nadal. Youzhny hit a ball which was called out. He went ahead and challenged the call and Hawk-eye ruled in Youzhny's favor. Nadal felt that the system was flawed as the ball to him appeared to have clearly missed the line. Youzhny agreed that this may have been an error of hawk-eye but claimed that any umpire could have made the same error. The reason haw-eye may have failed in this case is because of the dry heat in Dubai. This have caused the system to perform below par on a day when two of tennis' best were battling it out.

After watching the recently concluded India-England test Series, I had was a bit confused about the benefits which technology could bring to cricket. The World Best Umpire for 3 years running had made a number of bad judgments. At the end of the day however Simon Taufel admitted that he had made mistakes and was upset about it. Taufel is one of the most respected Umpires around. When I saw the decisions he had made, I felt that technology was to blame. The reason I say this is because technology is making Umpires become more accurate at making close calls. For the last few years it seems to have worked, but after watching this series I feel that the pressure has finally caught up to the Umpires. The Umpires constantly feel the pressure to make the right call because they know that at the end of the day technology will prove them either right or wrong with their calls. Whatever the fans and the press say will be based purely on the analysis of a few commentators or hawkeye. The pressures which Umpires face at the highest level will never be taken into consideration.

The best system will be to use the straight and side angles of the batsman along with the snickometer technology to judge the height and direction of the delivery as well as rule out any bat being involved with decisions such as LBW. As for caught behind decisions, I feel that the umpire needs to judge it by the sound of ball on bat and any visible change in direction of the cricket ball upon leaving the bat. The reaction of players can never be trusted as each player want to do well not only for their country but also for their place in the team. Umpires should not feel intimidated by players' reactions. Instead they need to just think only about what decision needs to be made. I myself enjoy Umpiring on occasion for this reason alone because the decision is in my hand and no disgruntled player will change what decision I make.

The ICC needs to do something to help the Umpires. First of all they need to train umpires on how to handle the pressure. Umpires end up making silly decisions without thinking clearly about where the ball pitched and how it changed direction. Taking a few extra seconds may cause a delay but in the end we are more likely to see the right decision made. Perhaps gaining sponsorship for making new technology available to International Umpires might help. This will reduce the ICC's expenses in this new area of concern. With the increasing number of errors from Umpires, now may be the best time for the ICC to bring technology to the Umpires' rescue.