ICC mulls over providing free Decision Review System

Pakistan endorse use of technology with the broadcaster.


Express June 23, 2011

LAHORE:


The International Cricket Council (ICC) is mulling over an option to offer the technology of Decision Review System (DRS) to all the full-member boards, bearing the entire cost with the help of a bundle-rights deal with the broadcasting company providing the technology, The Express Tribune has learnt.


The ICC so far has agreed in notion to use the DRS on a permanent basis but only the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has consistently opposed the technology, claiming it is unwilling to implement a system that is not 100 per cent accurate.

However, the ICC Cricket Committee, in May, made a series of recommendations that will be discussed and voted on during the ICC’s annual conference in Hong Kong this week.

It was learnt that talks between the ICC, broadcaster and member boards were headed towards a deadlock over who would bear the cost of the technology – which costs around $10,000 per day – and consequently the issue was left unattended.

However, the ICC with the contrasting timeline of the host broadcaster’s contract, recommended that the member boards should keep the provisions of the DRS technology in mind when signing a fresh contract. With reference to the recommendations by the ICC Cricket Committee, it was proposed that the system should be implemented in all Test matches and in One-Day Internationals.

PCB has no objections

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will endorse the offer and has no objection over the use and induction of the technology with the broadcaster. The PCB in 2008 signed $140.5 million television-right deal with the exception of the DRS technology, and since then has not able to utilise the technology in its home series.

“We aren’t able to use the DRS technology during our home series as we didn’t sign a contract with the broadcaster to provide us the technology,” PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told The Express Tribune.

“At the same time PCB intends to use the system in their away series. However, until the deal that runs till 2013, we can’t sign a separate contract.”

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar had expressed reservations against the DRS.“I’m not against it, but I feel it’ll be more effective with the support of the Snickometre and Hot Spot technology,” said  Tendulkar.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2011.

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