Australia vs India: Former umpire Daryl Harper wants umpire’s call banned

Former umpire Daryl Harper reckons that the umpire’s call in the Decision Review System (DRS) should be banned. Back in 2016, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced the umpire’s call and it has been a recipient of criticism from the experts. Harper said that the ICC needs to ban the umpire’s call in order to remove one of the shortcomings in the technology.

Recently, former Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar asked the ICC to delve deep into the DRS rules after a number of on-field calls were upheld during the second Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Harper doesn’t want the game to be marred with controversies.

There needs to be some serious work done: Daryl Harper

“I’ve had enough of umpire’s call. Let’s just ban umpire’s call. Get rid of the controversy and just go with it. Any contact with the ball on the stump will dislodge a bail. No 48 per cent, 49 per cent,” Harper was quoted as saying in India Today.

“The fact it’s been going for 12 years and the public are still mystified, and the players are still mystified, would suggest that there are some deficiencies in either the communication or the understanding. So there needs to be some serious work done from the ICC’s end. Because we shouldn’t be talking about umpiring decisions,” he stated.

Harper also had third-umpire Paul Wilson’s back after the latter ruled Tim Paine not out in a tricky run-out decision at the MCG. Harper quipped that had there been another angle, the umpire would have given the decision in India’s favour.

“If there’d been another picture in between the two we were looking at, I think we probably could have ruled him out. So, the technology after 12 years of this, it still isn’t up to scratch,” Harper added.

During India’s first innings, Ajinkya Rahane was given out in a similar situation to that of Paine. Later, another former umpire Simon Taufel said that in Rahane’s case, the third-umpire could see the separation point of the bails from the stumps.

As far as the DRS is concerned, experts have called for its inclusion in the Big Bash League after a number of umpiring howlers.