All posts by h716a5.icu

Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and South Africa due to a muscle strain

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2010Pakistan left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series against South Africa due to a muscle strain. His absence is a blow to Pakistan, who are left with Umar Gul as their lone frontline seamer in their current Test in Dubai.”Riaz has suffered a side strain on the right side and needs four to five weeks for recovery before rehabilitation, so he will return to Pakistan after the first Test,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, told . He added there would be no replacement for Riaz in the squad, and that leaves Mohammad Sami and Sohail Tanvir as possible new-ball partners for Gul in Abu Dhabi for the second Test which starts on November 20.Riaz, 25, had an impressive start to his Test career, with a five-for on debut against England at The Oval earlier in the year. On Friday, he picked up two wickets in South Africa’s first innings but was unable to bowl on the second day of the Test as a result of his injury. Gul and the spin pair of Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal stepped up, however, to bowl out South Africa for 380 after they had dominated the opening day.

Liverpool are eying a swoop for PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo in the summer transfer window.

What’s the Word?

That’s according to Dutch media outlet Voetbal, who claim the winger has already spoken with Liverpool regarding a transfer to the Premier League side at the end of the current campaign.

However, the report goes on to state that the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, and even Bayern Munich are also interested in a move the PSV sensation this summer.

It looks increasingly likely that Gakpo will be leaving the Dutch side and he has no shortage of admirers. The player did recently sign a new contract until 2026 following discussions with manager Ruud van Nistelrooy recently and this could be to secure his club the best possible fee.

Mane 2.0

Liverpool’s recent recruitment has been excellent, with the additions of Luis Diaz and Diego Jota have added extra dimensions to the Reds’ attack and it looks like Klopp is looking to the future.

With Gakpo only being 22, he could well be a fine signing and eventually look to take over from the ageing Sadio Mane.

Indeed, the Dutchman’s attacking output is similar to that of the 30-year-old, having scored a scintillating 18 goals and registered 15 assists over 42 outings in all competitions this season. Although primarily a left-winger, he can play across the forward line.

His performances have gathered a great amount of praise, with the former Netherlands midfielder, Theo Janssen, stating his belief that Gakpo is a talent who “has everything.”

Liverpool could secure his services for £33m which, would be a record fee for PSV.

Indeed, considering the sheer amount of potential the Netherlands international quite clearly possesses, it would not be surprising to see the 22-year-old – if he does indeed secure a move to Anfield this summer – eventually go on to take the place of Mane in the Reds’ starting XI – as it is clear Gakpo is very much a player in the Senegal international’s mould.

AND in other news: Cost £3.5m now worth £19.8m: Liverpool struck gold with “sensational” gem – opinion

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United finally return to Premier League action this evening, with the Whites making the trip to south London to face Crystal Palace in Monday’s 20:00 kick-off – 16 days after their 3-0 win over Watford.

As a result of this time off, the 48-year-old manager has had plenty of time to work with his first-team squad at Thorp Arch, something that could well give Leeds the edge over tonight’s opponents – who were bested 1-0 by Newcastle United last Wednesday.

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The gap between fixtures will have also afforded a number of the Whites’ injured and fatigued players a much-needed rest from the hectic Premier League schedule, although, it is reported that the meeting with Palace will still come too soon for Patrick Bamford.

And, with Daniel James having once again struggled when playing through the middle at Vicarage Road, it would appear highly advisable for Marsch to finally unleash 19-year-old Joe Gelhardt from the off against the Eagles.

“Banging on the door”

Indeed, since the American’s appointment in the Elland Road dugout, Gelhardt is yet to be included in the 48-year-old’s starting XI, featuring just four times in the Premier League under the management of Marsch, in which time he has bagged one goal – the stoppage-time winner against Norwich City a little over a month ago.

However, looking at the campaign as a whole, the £4.5m-rated striker’s impact is clear for all to see, with the England U21 international having scored two goals and registered three assists over just 486 top-flight minutes – averaging a direct goal involvement every 97.2 minutes of football played.

For comparison, while James’ record of four goals and five assists over 30 Premier League outings does better the 19-year-old’s returns, when taking into account the Wales international directly contributes to a goal an average of once every 253.4 minutes played, it is obvious who is the more deadly.

Furthermore, over the last seven top-flight fixtures in which the £16.2m-rated winger has been deployed up front, James has failed to hit the back of the net, something which would very much suggest that he is simply not suited to a central attacking role.

As such, despite his tender age, Marsch must finally place his trust in the player who Beren Cross dubbed Leeds’ “next big thing” against Palace, as it is clear to see from his impressive record in the final third that Gelhardt is very much “banging on the door” – in the words of Phil Hay – for a start under the American.

AND in other news: Joe Donnohue drops early team news ahead of Palace, it’s a double boost for Leeds

Brett Lee and Phillip Hughes set up a comfortable victory for New South Wales, who cruised past Tasmania’s 8 for 189 in the regional centre of Burnie

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2010New South Wales 3 for 190 (Hughes 80*) beat Tasmania 8 for 189 (Cowan 58, Lee 3-51) by 7 wickets
ScorecardPhillip Hughes made an unbeaten 80•Global Cricket Ventures-BCCIBrett Lee and Phillip Hughes set up a comfortable victory for New South Wales, who cruised past Tasmania’s 8 for 189 in the regional centre of Burnie. Lee collected 3 for 51 to help restrict the Tigers, who are the competition leaders, and Hughes compiled an unbeaten 80 as the Blues eased to their target with 23 balls remaining, to move to second spot on the table.It was a strong all-round effort from the visitors, who also took the extra point available at the halfway mark, when they had scored 1 for 86 to Tasmania’s 2 for 66. The Tigers found the going tough having been sent in and Ed Cowan’s 58 was the only score of note against a strong attack led by Lee, who leads the Ryobi Cup wicket tally with 14.David Warner made 44 for New South Wales and Steven Smith’s 32 helped the visitors to their triumph, which was anchored by the opener Hughes, who is hoping to remind the Australian selectors of his talent. Lee is also keen to force his way back in to the national team for the one-day games against England and the World Cup early next year.”I want to play for Australia. I’m ready, it’s as simple as that,” Lee told AAP after the victory. “I’m back bowling fast, I’m back bowling well and I’m taking wickets.”

Dean Jones has dropped an update on the future of former Leeds United transfer target Rodrigo de Paul.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, the journalist and transfer insider stated his belief that, despite recent reports suggesting that the central midfielder is looking to secure a move away from Atletico Madrid, the 27-year-old would more than likely be out of Leeds United’s price range this summer.

However, Jones did go on to state that Victor Orta, the man who saw a €35m (£29.5m) bid rejected for the Argentina international back in the summer of 2020, would still love to bring De Paul to Elland Road.

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When asked whether the Whites could once again launch an offensive for the Atleti midfielder this summer, Jones said: “Victor Orta loves him, but I just think he’s beyond their reach at the moment.

“I mean, financially, I’m not sure that they can go there at the moment. He’ll be linked with some massive clubs and be on big wages. So, while I’m sure they would love him, I would imagine he’s beyond their reach at this point.”

Orta must move

While it is true that the player who Atletico spent €35m (£29.5m) on and handed a five-year contract on a reported £107k-per-week last July will not likely come cheap this summer, considering just how talented a player De Paul quite clearly is, if the midfielder is available this summer, Orta simply must make a move for the 27-year-old.

Despite not enjoying the best campaign of his career at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium this season – having started just 21 LaLiga fixtures under Diego Simeone – the £59m-rated dynamo nevertheless proved during his final year at Udinese that, when given the opportunity, he can be a key player for his club.

Indeed, over his 36 Serie A appearances last term, the Argentine was in breathtaking form for the Bianconeri, scoring nine goals, registering nine assists and creating a quite astonishing 20 big chances – the joint-most in the league – for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots, making 2.3 key passes and completing 3.4 dribbles per game.

The 39-time capped international also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 40.7 passes, 0.5 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 4.5 long balls and winning 8.1 duels – at a success rate of 60% – per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Charlie Wilson dubbed “absolutely sensational” and Roy Nemer labelled both a “monster” and “unplayable” average an incredible SofaScore match rating of 7.53, not only ranking him as Udinese’s best performer in the Italian top flight but also as the second-best player in the league as a whole.

As such, should there even be the slightest chance of Leeds signing De Paul this summer, Orta simply must make a move for the 27-year-old, as he would undoubtedly help to transform the Whites’ midfield under Jesse Marsch next season.

AND in other news: Phil Hay reveals yet another “massive blow” for Leeds, Jesse Marsch will be devastated

An insipid performance from India’s bowlers on the fourth day had broken their aspirations of a maiden Test series victory in South Africa but, on the fifth, the batsmen ensured they achieved at least a draw for the first time in the country

The Bulletin by George Binoy06-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Gautam Gambhir’s 64-run vigil led India’s resistance as they batted out the fifth day at Newlands and earned a 1-1 series draw•AFPAn insipid performance from India’s bowlers on the fourth day had broken their aspirations of a maiden Test series victory in South Africa but, on the fifth, the batsmen ensured they achieved at least a draw for the first time in the country. In an anticlimactic end to an enthralling contest, Gautam Gambhir was at the forefront of the Indian resistance, Rahul Dravid blocked lots of balls, and South Africa’s bowlers toiled 82 overs for three wickets, when they needed ten.South Africa fell behind early in their pursuit of victory and eventually took only one wicket in each session. The key to their chances lay in how many they dismissed with the new ball, and India won a decisive battle by surviving the first 11 overs without damage. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel weren’t as hostile as they were in the first innings but still bowled aggressively in the morning. Once that threat passed, India’s passage was easier. They survived one more flutter of anxiety, soon after Dravid fell late in the second session, when AB de Villiers failed to catch an extremely tough chance off Gambhir. The game was called off with umpteen fielders waiting for catches that never came, and South Africa were still winless in a series at home since Bangladesh’s visit in November 2008.India did not try to win this deciding Test on its final morning – the target of 340 was always out of reach – but because they focused on survival and scored at about two runs an over, Graeme Smith was able to place as many close catchers as he pleased. Steyn got the ball to seam and swing away, though he wasn’t as terrific as he was on the third day. Morkel posed the greater threat, targeting the bodies of both openers with balls that jagged into them from short of a length. One screamer from round the wicket rose so steeply that even Gambhir’s best efforts to avoid it failed. The ball thudded painfully into his left arm, just below the elbow. It was the same injured arm that kept him off the field during South Africa’s second innings and has ruled him out of the ODI series. Gambhir got it treated, and took guard again.It made sense for Gambhir to try and face Steyn, while Sehwag countered Morkel. Steyn’s swing into the left-hander’s pads made it easier for Gambhir to face him. Sehwag, however, struggled against Morkel, getting hustled by deliveries that homed in at his body and beaten by others that straightened.South Africa’s first chance came when Lonwabo Tsotsobe replaced Steyn in the 11th over and Sehwag slashed him. The ball flew towards JP Duminy, standing deeper at point, and burst through his hands as he mistimed his jump. The let-off cost South Africa only a few deliveries, though, for in the next over Sehwag hung his bat out and edged Morkel to Boucher. Umpire Ian Gould asked the third umpire to check if Morkel had overstepped. He hadn’t, by the smallest of margins. Sehwag’s dismal tour was over; 144 runs in six innings was all he got.The pressure eased when Tsotsobe and Harris were operating. Gambhir and Dravid blocked, left, and blocked some more. Dravid was careful to play Harris with bat in front of pad, ensuring nothing would pop up to the close catchers. The ball was turning, and it was seaming, but it was doing both slowly. India passed 50 when Gambhir jumped down the pitch and drove Harris to the cover boundary, but runs were of little consequence.On either side of the lunch break, Smith brought himself on to bowl offbreaks and a couple spun sharply. He changed his bowlers frequently but for the majority of the second session Gambhir and Dravid were untroubled and they collected easy runs by exploiting unprotected boundaries. Gambhir slashed and cut Steyn through point twice and reached a valuable half-century. Dravid simply used up deliveries and scored when he could, scoring three soft fours in a Smith over. Before those boundaries he had played 89 balls for 18 runs.In the 44th over, just when the Test seemed to be entering a phase of defensive torpor, Harris began to make things happen off the pitch. He ripped and bounced one sharply across Dravid and later in the over struck him low on the back foot in front of middle stump. The ball hit pad before bat but Gould said not out. Dravid played only 15 more balls, though, before edging Tsotsobe off the front foot to the cordon.The opportunity to dismiss Gambhir, on 62 off 146 balls, came soon after, when a leading edge flew quickly to de Villiers at silly point. He grabbed repeatedly at the sharp chance but spilled the ball and Harris held his head. Gambhir played 37 more balls. Tendulkar was solid for 91 deliveries and he remained unbeaten, walking off Newlands with the series shared. VVS Laxman too couldn’t be budged, after Gambhir had gloved Steyn’s short ball down the leg side for 64. It was Boucher’s 499th catch.Steyn and Morkel’s spells after tea were South Africa’s last chance. They returned for one final attempt, an over each with the second new ball. Both were fruitless. India scored only 166 runs today and saved the series.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between Sri Lanka and West Indies at the SSC

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2011Match FactsFebruary 6, SSC
Start time 09.30 (04:00 GMT)
Chris Gayle is yet to fire in the ODI series•AFPBig PictureIt took three Tests and two ODIs for the rain-hit tour(s) to yield an outright result. The comprehensive win in the second ODI was a boost to Sri Lanka, affirming their superiority in home conditions, and a blemish for the visitors who had appeared to punch above their weight in the contests thus far.But the outcome of the three-match series is unlikely to leave either team too demoralised or too elated ahead of the World Cup. The series, which was rescheduled from December due to inclement weather, is much shorter than some of the series played by other teams in the World Cup build-up, and the first match was washed out after West Indies’ innings. Three matches, with the lurking rain, is not adequate preparation, but both teams can take positives from the little cricket that has been played. Upul Tharanga’s century, and disciplined bowling performances in each of the two games have been the positives for Sri Lanka, while West Indies will be relieved with Adrian Barath and Ramnaresh Sarwan striking form. Barath scored his first ODI century in the first match, while Sarwan got his first half-century since April last year in that game.With just a game left, the visitors would be aiming for more consistency in their batting. Chris Gayle and the Bravo brothers got starts in the second ODI but didn’t push on, while for Sri Lanka, their middle order still hasn’t been tested this series. The hosts remain favourites, but West Indies have shown spirit on this tour. To end it even, against a team formidable in home conditions, and under a new captain, would mark a significant first step ahead of the World Cup.Form guide (Last five completed games)
Sri Lanka: WLWWW
West Indies: LLLLLPlayers to watch out for …Chris Gayle: He sizzled in the Test series, scoring 333 in Galle, but has yet to take off in the ODIs. He warmed up with a fluent but brief innings in the second ODI, smacking four fours and a six, but he hasn’t got an ODI century since January 2009, and will want to prove he’s capable of playing a match-winning knock.Sri Lanka’s middle order: Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews and Chamara Silva haven’t had a go this series, with the bat. It would be worth tweaking the batting line-up with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene perhaps dropping down to give the others a shot in the middle.Team newsShivnarine Chanderpaul had missed the second game due to illness. If he’s back to strengthen the batting, West Indies could be forced to leave out a bowler.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Carlton Baugh (wk), 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Kemar Roach.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Chamara Kapugedera, 4 Thilan Samaraweera, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Mahela Jayawardene, 7 Kumar Sangakkara (capt and wk), 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.Quotes”Kumar [Sangakkara] and Mahela [Jayawardene] should not be batting at No. 3 and 4. One of them has to come down to No. 5 to bolster the middle order. Maybe they should send [Chamara] Kapugedera up the order to No. 4.”

A dominant performance by Matabeleland Tuskers saw them beat Mid West Rhinos by 177 runs and move to second position in the Logan Cup table

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2011A dominant performance by Matabeleland Tuskers saw them beat Mid West Rhinos by 177 runs at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, and move to second position in the Logan Cup table. Tuskers had a 95-run first-innings lead by early on the third day, but it was in their second innings that they really pressed home the advantage and set up the win.Openers Paul Horton and Gavin Ewing tore into the Rhinos bowlers and scored 119 each, at strike-rates of 123.95 and 83.80 respectively. The quick scoring was continued by the rest of the batsmen and Tuskers reached 335 in just 54.5 overs, giving themselves plenty of time to bowl Rhinos out.Staring at a mammoth target of 431 to win, Rhinos lost early wickets, and despite a half-century from Roland Benade at No.8, never looked like surviving. They were bowled out 42 overs into the fourth day, with seamers Thabo Mboyi and Njabulo Ncube taking three wickets each.In the first innings, most of Tusker’s top-order batsmen got starts, but it took half-centuries from Steven Trenchard at No. 5 and Tafadzwa Ngulube at No.7 to get them up to 393. Rhinos were then bowled out for 298, but it would have been much less if not for the efforts of Riki Wessels, whose 146 was the highest score in the match

While runs were aplenty in Bulawayo, they were in short supply at the Masvingo Sports Club, where table-toppers Mountaineers beat Southern Rocks by nine wickets inside three days in a low-scoring affair. Twenty-year-old seamer Tendai Chatara proved too much to handle for Rocks, who were bowled out for 177 and 94 in their two innings, with Chatara taking 6 for 33 in the first and 5 for 16 in the second.In between, half-centuries from Tino Mawoyo and Timycen Maruma helped Mountaineers reach 218 in their first innings. Rocks’ seamer Brian Vitori took 6 for 55, but there was not much he could do after his team’s batting line-up collapsed in their second attempt, leaving Mountaineers just 54 to win on the third day.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Joao Palhinha to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness), who claim that, following earlier reports suggesting that Tottenham are at the front of the queue to land the Sporting Lisbon talent this summer, Fabio Paratici is now preparing an initial offer for the 26-year-old.

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The report goes on to state that Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United are also interested in a move to bring the Portugal international to the Premier League, while the Liga Portugal side themselves are looking to receive a figure totalling €40m (£34m) in order to part with the defensive midfielder this summer.

A “special” signing

With it being reported that Antonio Conte has prioritised the signing of a new central midfielder in the summer transfer window, it is easy to see why Paratici is plotting an offer for Palhinha ahead of Tottenham’s 2022/23 campaign.

Indeed, over his 26 Liga Portugal appearances this season, the £23.4m-rated talent has been in breathtaking form in the heart of Ruben Amorim’s midfield, making an average of 3.0 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 0.9 clearances and winning 7.1 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

The £24k-per-week defensively-minded midfielder has also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring three goals and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.0 shots, making 0.4 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per fixture.

These returns have seen the 12-time capped international who Amorim dubbed a “special player” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Sporting’s ninth-best performer in the top flight of Portuguese football.

As such, with the likes of Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele all looking likely to be moved on by Tottenham this summer, Palhinha would very much appear to be a fantastic replacement for any of the three outbound midfielders, leading us to believe that Paratici must do all he can to convince the 26-year-old of a move to north London ahead of a switch to Wolves or Manchester United this summer.

AND in other news: Journo claims “the door is open” for Spurs to sign £45m star, supporters will love it

The controversial clause in the Decision Review System (DRS) that reprieved Ian Bell was introduced into the rules because of players’ doubts over the accuracy of the ball tracker technology.

Sharda Ugra in Bangalore01-Mar-2011The controversial clause in the Decision Review System (DRS) that reprieved Ian Bell during the tense England run-chase against India in Bangalore was introduced into the rules because of players’ doubts over the accuracy of the ball tracker technology. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in Bangalore, ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said, “The rules and protocols for DRS were designed by experts with much thought. The Bell example applies the 2.5m rule which, in my view, accommodates the scepticism that some have with predictive technonolgy.”India’s scepticism about the DRS has grown following the incident involving Bell, the first time the team asked for a referral in the World Cup. Television replays, which were displayed on the giant screen of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, appeared to show that the ball had hit a forward-stretching Bell low on the pad with the ball in line with middle stump. Bell had begun to walk off, but umpire Billy Bowden did not declare him out because the distance between the point of impact and the stumps was shown to be 2.5m.MS Dhoni criticised the Bell decision, calling it an ‘adulteration’ of technology with human judgement, but Lorgat said it was not an accurate description of what transpired. “It’s absolutely not (adulteraton) – as it is there to support the umpire, not to overrule the umpire. The whole purpose of DRS is to avoid the error, not to seek a wicket or to reprieve a batsman. That’s not the purpose of the system, the purpose is to avoid an error that would result in gross injustice. The Bell decision was a judgement call for the umpire – if he didn’t have the DRS, we would have been arguing about how far down the pitch the batsman was. What we are trying to avoid through DRS is the bad decision, not to adjudicate on decisions that could go either way.Using the DRS in the World Cup, Lorgat said was, “to simply avoid the shocking error that can happen. And we do not want such errors in the World Cup.” Umpires he said would acknowledge this, he said, adding they were, “happy” with the DRS. “They can go to sleep at night knowing that had they made that one mistake, it can be rectified. That would not have happened without DRS.”The rule about the distance between impact and the stumps had been put in place precisely because experts had said that the accuracy of the ball tracker – in this case Hawk Eye – begins to falter from that point. “In other words if the ball needed to travel more than 2.5m, then it is for the umpire to make the final decision as he sees it.”Dhoni had asked why the mark had not been stipulated at 2.4, or 2.6m, and Lorgat said that while, “You can set that mark wherever you want – Dhoni was saying 2.4 and 2.6 – but the experts have decided on 2.5 m, after which the umpire and not technology decides..”ICC General Manager, Dave Richardson, told Indian news channel, , that Dhoni should be aware of the rules before passing judgement. “There are a set of rules along with the Hawk-Eye to assist in making the decision when UDRS is implemented … Most of the time, a player is not fully aware of all the rules. If MS Dhoni is made aware of the specifications of these rules, then I am sure that he will accept the decision that was made.”

“If MS Dhoni is made aware of the specifications of these rules, then I am sure that he will accept the decision that was made.”

Lorgat went on to say that regardless of the technology, the umpire had remained at the front and center of decision making on the field. “The umpire still has the authority to say, despite what I’ve heard and seen, I still don’t think that is enough reason for me to change my decision. It is for them to decide. That [DRS] has aided them, that does not overrule the umpire. That is a support structure we have put in place.”When asked whether the DRS would now be a constant in ODIs following the World Cup, Lorgat said, “No. A comprehensive review and recommendation can only be decided once the ICC Cricket Committee deliberates in May 2011. You can’t deny the progress of technology, either we embrace it or we reject it. I believe we reject it at our own peril.”The DRS was met with a lot of resistance when it was first introduced in 2008, but it has now enjoys what Lorgat calls a, “lot more support” across all Test playing countries other than India. Lorgat said, “Now, people are asking us, “Why is it not mandatory?” It is currently not because of the lack of available technology. We would also want all players and Match Officials to experience and embrace it fully.” He said there were, “commercial and contractual aspects related to its application” which is why the ICC had left the decision, “to the participating Boards.”The system had come into play in the World Cup because it was an ICC event but leaving it to bilateral boards was not unfair on the part of those countries which have embraced it, “This (the World Cup) is an ICC event and the ICC has decided to use it. In the case of bilateral series it is up to the Members to decide. Some claim this is not consistent and therefore not fair. I don’t believe so as the playing conditions would be the same for the two competing teams and it is still the subject of the umpire deciding.”Lorgat said the DRS was, “no more than a tool” to help the decision making the umpire. “By using DRS, the correct decision making percentage has improved by around 5%, from 92% to 97%. With such improvement how can we not support its use?”In the ICC’s DRS rule pertaining to the Process of Consultation, No. 3.3 (i), states that if a ‘not out’ decision is being reviewed on the ‘point of impact’ issue, the third umpire must tell the onfield umpire whether the ball is past 2.5m or not and then pass on the following information: the distance from the wickets of the point of impact with the batsman, the approximate distance from the point of pitching to the point of impact, and whether the ball is predicted to the hit the stumps. According to the explanation given on the ICC’s website, along with the 2.5m rule, should the distance between point of pitching and point of impact with the pad be less than 40cm, “the umpires are not obliged to follow the normal rules for using Hawkeye to determine whether the batsman is out or not and shall have a discretion in determining whether or not to overturn their original not out decision.”The ball tracker, like Hawk-Eye in this case, comes into play from the time the ball pitches and to the point of impact. That passage of information is then passed to the computer through multiple camera frames that help the tracker pick up on trajectory and make its assessment. The greater the distance between the point where the ball pitches and the point where it makes contact with either bat or pad, the more camera frames there are for the tracker to trace the predictive path. The shorter the distance, the less information is available to the technology to make an accurate prediction, which is why the 2.5m rule was brought into play.The Bell-Bowden incident has raised the issue of whether the third umpire should be able to instruct the on-field umpire to change his decision, as opposed to merely passing on information.The argument in favour says that the third umpire is the man who has both access and time to look at the replay and is also detached from the emotions on the field and in the crowd looking at the dismissal on a giant screen. The argument against states that giving the third umpire these powers will reduce the importance of the man in the middle.