ICC hopes India will adopt referral system soon

Thursday, 28 October 2010 05:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The International Cricket Council (ICC) is hoping to convince India to adopt the Umpire Decision Review System as part of the world governing body’s push to make the practice a mandatory feature of all test series.

At present, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not believe the system that allows players to challenge and overturn umpires’ decisions is accurate enough and have opposed its use.

However, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has expressed confidence that India would soon agree to use the system when the BCCI fully understood its benefits.

“The majority of players across the world are convinced by the applications of the system and I am sure that in due course the BCCI will feel the same,” Lorgat told reporters on Wednesday.

“At the moment, they still have doubts about the system which we will certainly try and convince them of,” he added.

“I am confident that the BCCI will join us on a visit to Australia to inspect the technical applications of the system and see the merits of it.

“We will try to convince them rather than instruct them.”

Speaking at a function to announce an ICC sponsorship deal, Lorgat said the governing body believed it was best to maintain the status quo of allowing the host board in a bilateral series to decide whether or not to use the review system.

“There were a lot of issues before we could make it mandatory. When there will be competing suppliers available with sufficient equipment, we can then consider making it mandatory,” he added.

India opted against the system in the recent two-test series against Australia, while South Africa are trying to convince the BCCI to let them use it when the Proteas host a three-test series in December.