DRS: Blame the officials, not the system

Talking about umpires’ role, take for example the decision that went against Usman Khawaja in the first innings of the third Test. If I, an average cricket fan, could clearly see that there was no edge, shouldn’t an elite umpire like Kumara Dharmasena be able to see it too? Why was he not held accountable at all? I could point to several other similar instances where the umpire was at fault, but on all those occasions, the system was blamed instead.

Usman Khawaja’s dismissal in the 3rd Ashes Test calls for more accountability from the TV umpires

So, you see, the problem isn’t the system itself, but with the people. It is clear that half-measures have been taken while implementing DRS, and that leaves a lot of room for error, human error.

There needs to be consistency in the system. When a decision is referred to the third umpire, the onus of the decision should lie solely on him. In the case of any doubt, he should be able to give the benefit of the doubt to whichever side he deems fit instead of simply agreeing with the on-field umpire’s call – a decision that was controversial to begin with. That is the job he is being paid to do, and he should take some responsibility for his actions rather than blaming the system, which is the easiest cop-out for anyone who has made an error.

Additionally, third umpires need to be trained properly in the use of DRS. They should be assessed after every decision, and should have to face consequences for their poor calls. A system can be successful only if the people handling it are competent, which doesn’t seem to be the case as of now.

We don’t realise it after so many years now, but the game of cricket has some extremely strange and complicated rules. There will always be marginal calls and decisions that could have gone in either side’s favour, but these are the glorious uncertainties of the game we love, and it is something we will have to deal with, at least for the time being.

However, there is a huge scope of improvement. The system is certainly not perfect and the issues need to be addressed as soon as possible. But this does not mean the use of DRS should be discontinued altogether.

Cricket has been evolving and growing at massive rate over the last decade and continues to do so. The use of technology has only improved the game, and despite all its flaws, the DRS has done more good than harm. So, if the ICC does decide to stop the use of DRS, the game will be pushed back by at least ten years, if not more.

At the end of the day, cricket will be the real loser.