What is Umpire’s Call in Cricket? Know All Details About LBW Rules and the Decision Review System (DRS)

Umpire’s Call in Cricket: There’s much fuss about the Decision Review System (DRS) in cricket, and fans are often confused about its rules. How does LBW work, what is pitching outside and inside and what exactly is umpire’s call in cricket, are common questions among viewers.

Some decisions and situations during the match can be quite puzzling or close for the match officials to correctly judge. This is where the DRS comes into effect - to keep the sport impartial and accurate.

On-field umpires may consult with the third umpire in the case of an Umpire Review or a Player Review as part of the Decision Review System. When a player disagrees with the umpire’s official decision, be it out or not out, he can opt for a review.

UPDATE: 2023 World Cup Final IND vs AUS - Marnus Labuschagne was saved by the umpire's call rule. Jasprit Bumrah was dead sure about his appeal but the umpire had other thoughts and the review showed that the 50% of the ball was missing the wickets.  

The DRS is mostly used in the cases of narrow calls like LBW or outside edge. The ability to review lies with the captain of the bowling side and the on-field players of the batting side. The DRS can help the umpires ascertain if the ball was pitching in line or outside, hitting or missing the pads/bat, and hitting the stumps or missing them.

If every condition is fulfilled, the batsman is declared “out” otherwise it’s “not out”. If the umpire’s decision is proved wrong by the DRS, he is forced to overturn it. If the umpire’s decision is wrong but by a very low margin or the third umpire’s findings turn out to be inconclusive, it’s called an umpire’s call, and the on-field umpire’s ruling is followed. The umpire’s call is effective only in LBW decision reviews.

Here is an in-depth explainer on DRS, LBW rules, the rule of umpire’s call and why it is controversial.

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What is Umpire’s Call?

In simple terms, umpire’s call means that the on-field umpire should be given the benefit of the doubt on close LBW decisions. As many cricket fans would know, a Leg-Before Wicket (LBW) is a way of dismissal in cricket.

If the ball hits the batsman’s leg and is found to be in the trajectory of the wickets, the player is given out. This rule prevents unethical practices in cricket, like using the leg to block the ball from hitting the stumps.

There are many technicalities behind LBW dismissal, but mainly the umpires take three things into consideration - where the ball is pitching, the point of impact between the ball and the batsman, and the trajectory of the ball.

As such, there is a lot of room for error, and the on-field umpire’s decision may not be satisfactory to the players. Even after reviewing, the third umpire may instruct the on-field umpire to go with his original decision. Thus, the term - Umpire’s Call.

Why is Umpire’s Call controversial?

The umpire’s call has ruffled feathers in the cricket world due to its confusing technicalities. Some players have even called for it to be banned. The DRS was introduced in cricket in 2008, but the umpire’s call rule was added in 2016. Since then, cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne have voiced their support for eliminating umpire’s call from DRS.

The main issue players have is that the umpire’s call is highly confusing, not just for players but for the fans as well. It complicates simple decisions and other times results in incorrect resolutions.

For instance, if less than 50% of the ball is hitting the stumps as per the Hawk-Eye trajectory prediction, it will count as the balls were missing the wickets. Cricketers argue that any percentage of the ball’s surface area hitting the stumps or bails is enough to dislodge them. The 50% rule also applies to pitching and point of impact.

Although ICC has tweaked the DRS rules, the umpire’s call in DRS continues to irk players. It has resulted in many controversial dismissals and not-outs.

Another argument against the umpire’s call is since it allows human error, what’s the point of using it in DRS? Just go back to the old ways before DRS was implemented. The umpire’s call is a hindrance to complete accuracy.

The counterargument for the above is that the prediction technology, Hawk-eye and ultra edge aren’t foolproof either. The ball tracking doesn’t take into account the level of spin or swing of the ball. So, because the room for error is present even with modern tech, human errors can also be permitted through umpire’s call.

Bottomline

The umpire’s call decision has been criticized since its implementation in 2016. ICC has modified the rule many times after listening to player complaints and counsel from veteran cricketers and match officials. The umpire’s call rule is not going anywhere, and players will just have to accept it. But a positive change is that the team will not lose their review in case of an umpire’s call in DRS.