Front-foot no balls to be called by third umpire during England-Pakistan ODI series

In a move which is aimed at decreasing the workload of the on-field umpires, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that front-foot no balls will be adjudged by the third umpire during the upcoming five-match ODI series between England and Pakistan. Based on the results of the trial, a decision will be taken whether to implement the move on a permanent basis for future matches.

Footage from the four side cameras, which till now has been used exclusively for determining run outs and stumpings by the TV umpire, will now also be used for determining whether the bowler has overstepped while delivering the ball. The third umpire will then convey the decision to the on-field umpire by a device known as ‘pager watch’ which will vibrate in case an indication for no ball has been given by the former.

Should the device fail to operate, the third umpire will resort to the conventional methods of communication to convey his decision. The on-field umpires will be required to call front-foot no balls only if side cameras are not available at any of the venues though the chances of that are very rare.

The ICC hopes that handing over the responsibility of no-balls to the third umpire who will use advanced technology featuring a split-screen feed, along with slow motion replays to make his decision on a timely basis will not just reduce the errors in this regard, but also help the on-field umpires channel their concentration for better accuracy.

"This trial is being carried out to ascertain if there is a way in which front foot no-balls can be called more accurately and consistently, while also assessing the TV umpire's workload and identifying the impact it will have on the flow of the game," Adrian Griffith, ICC's senior manager - umpires and referees, said.

"While we need to find out if the technology set-up for this purpose is fit, at the same time we feel this is the right time to conduct the trial as the TV umpires will have more information than ever before to share with the on-field umpires, which, in turn, will help them in correct decision-making."

The ICC further announced that the officials taking part in the ODI series will undergo a thorough training session to mitigate any possible conflicts which may arise during the course of the series as well as helping them acquaint with the experimental move.

"To ensure that the match officials are thoroughly briefed and trained for this trial, the ICC will conduct training sessions with the umpires and match referee in Southampton on Monday and Tuesday. The results of this technology trial will be shared with the ICC Cricket Committee, which will advise the ICC on future action," Griffith said.