Why does an umpire have to do these things ?

[Ram]

Lets have a cursory glance at all the responsibilities that an umpire has Scoring based

• Count the balls of an over
• Signal fours and sixes
• Look for over-stepping and declare wides
• Declare byes and leg-byes

On field control

• Make sure there are only 11 players on the field
• Make sure the fielders arent placed out of their valid position ( like having 3 fielders behind square on the leg side)

• Keep a note of the number of overs bowled by an player so that he doesnt bowl more than his quota ( in case of ODIs)

On-field discipline

• Make sure the pitch is not tampered
• Guard against ball tampering
• Ensure harmony amongst players on the field and stop incidents from blowing up.

Match regulations based

• Look out for bad light , and offer it to the batsman when needed
• Inform captain of change in targets in case of duckworth lewis system being used
• Keep a note of change in playing conditions like a wet outfield

There is a specific reason why i have highlighted certain points in bold. I feel that , in order to save the energy of an umpire and make sure he gets concentration right every ball so that he could crucial LBW decisions right , we must relieve him of some responsibilities that could be easily done by technology or the T.V umpire. At any point of the game , the umpire has to keep in mind MANY things. This could easily distract him and stop him from doing his primary job , that of getting decisions right , well. So here is what i propose we do. Counting balls , overs, signaling boundaries and keeping count of overs by different bowlers should be done by some other match official like the T.V umpire , who for most times , sits and idles away his time No-balls should be adjudged by technology. The single biggest impediment for an umpire to get an LBW decision right is that fact that he has to watch out for over-stepping and then immediately shift focus to the ball. We should use the latest available technology to determine if the bowler had overstepped The umpires responsibilities on the cricket field must be restricted to

• Giving LBW and caught behind decisions
• Declaring wides , byes and leg-byes
• Ensuring on-field discipline
• Stop ball and pitch tampering
• Keeping track of playing and pitch conditions.

If we do this , I am pretty sure we would see a drastic reduction of errors in the LBW and caught behind decisions that an umpires make. This way, we achieve two targets with a single shot. Number one , we can please the purists of the game who feel an umpire is necessary to uphold the spirit of the game. Number two , we can also satisfy those who have been calling for umpires to be replaced by technology. After all , their genuine bone of contention is not against the umpire , but the mistakes he makes. If we can stop that from happening , i am sure they would also have no problem against having an on-field umpire. Cricket would be half-dead if we were to replace the man-in-white with a robotic camera. The key is to aide the umpires in decision making with appropriate use of technology so that the errors he makes would be minimized.

[Chandan]

No-balls should be adjudged by technology. The single biggest impediment for an umpire to get an LBW decision right is that fact that he has to watch out for over-stepping and then immediately shift focus to the ball. We should use the latest available technology to determine if the bowler had overstepped

How will they inform the batsman in time, so that he can take advantage of the no-ball?

[Ram]

How will they inform the batsman in time' date=' so that he can take advantage of the no-ball?[/quote'] No batsman is quick enough to make advantage of an umpiring call. And actually , I can tell you that if we do have beeper system when the batsman over-steps, the beep would sound much more earlier than umpire anyway.

[The Outsider]

Excellent post, Sriram. Very well thought out and lucidly presented. Don't know where I can disagree.

[Ram]

Actually Shwetabh , I believe that a set of simple and easy to implement measures like the ones suggested initially could go a huge way in reducing umpire error and hence , increase the quality of the game.

[Ram]

I thought it was quite relevant to bump this thread now.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[Anakin]

Good post

[yoda]

You think letting their brain idle more will help them pick up the line of deliveries, inside edges, etc. with more accuracy? If anything, umpiring should be limited to those mundane tasks like counting deliveries that technology can't perform and leave the rest to the guy in the booth with the replays.

[Guest Hiten.]

if we rely on technology too much in cricket then cricket will no longer be 7 hours game but atlest 9 hours game

[Anakin]

if we rely on technology too much in cricket then cricket will no longer be 7 hours game but atlest 9 hours game

Not accurate either, just another lame excuse goras use. Referring to 3rd ump for lbw was experimentally used IIRC, don't think it took longer than 15-20 min in the whole game.

[kabira]

Referral system will help...that is way forward.

[Chandan]

Referral system will help...that is way forward.

I agree. And they should make things clear as to what the on field umpire can refer to the 3rd umpire or which kind of decisions can be challenged, if you want the the playing sides to give 3 chances!!