MELBOURNE: The controversial Decision Review System of the International Cricket Council will not just reduce umpiring errors but also ensure more batsmen walk when they edge behind, feels ICC's Cricket Operations manager Dave Richardson.
The system, which has been opposed by the Cricket Boards of India and South Africa due to the heavy cost involved in installing the technology, went into operation in the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand.
"I quite like the idea of putting a bit of responsibility on them, they are very quick to shake their heads and wave their bat around when they get an inside edge," Richardson told reporters in Brisbane.
"Let's see how brave they are when it comes to actually taking that responsibility. Initially when we spoke we thought a possible indirect benefit might be that batsmen, when they do edge a ball, won't hang around and will walk anyway because they will be inevitably given out in the long run and they might be shown up as, not cheats, but certainly not playing within the spirit," he added.
Talking about the system which allows players to appeal an on-field umpire's decision, Richardson said the percentage of correct decisions improved by six per cent during the 11-Test trial and the instances of unnecessarily appeals also went down.
