Umpire missed a game-changing no-ball off the final delivery bowled by Lasith Malinga yesterday.
The cricketing world is demanding more use of technology after the mistake. The use of tech to help with no balls has been discussed before. But it hasn’t been implemented yet. What do you think should be done to help the officials?
Unfortunate mistake! Especially at a juncture where the match stood a chance of swinging in favor of either team. When we are already using technology to review almost everything else in the game then why leave ‘no ball’ judgement to human error that is inevitable?
There was. Didn’t do well. Players complained. Therefore, it was removed. Also blaming a no ball for the loss would not be wise as rcb choked in the last over. It should have been an easy win and in the last 5 balls of the over they could score just 5 runs. Not even a single good shot.
That is clearly irrelevant to the topic. If that was declared as No Ball. RCB would get a free hit and De Villers would be on strike. With 5 runs needed in 1 ball. A four would take the match to Super Over. As Kohli said this is not club cricket and in this era of technology such a blunder would cost a place in playoff or even the title. BCCI should look into this matter very seriously! Hard Luck boys!
Completely agree. Should be using tech to give every team the best possible help.
So you feel that every ball should be checked for a no ball? Do you know on an average a no ball decision takes 20 seconds. Therefore 240 balls in a T-20 game, that is 240*20=4800 seconds = 80 mins in a game just to check no balls in a game? Are you serious about that? Can we really extend a game for 1 hours 20 mins just to check no balls?
Also, now you might say that balls which seem suspicious should be checked by third umpire. So Sir, there is a provision in which all the suspicious balls are cross checked by the third umpire. You might have come across this while watching a telecast on the tv.
What happened in that game was a human error and human error cannot be removed. There have been instances in the game where even the third umpire have made mistakes. What would you do then? Implement AI (artificial intelligence) to check no balls?
And If You think BCCI should take this matter seriously please suggest how can this be changed?
See it was quite heartbreaking that the last ball of that game was illegal and human errors like these do change the face of the match but its practically impossible to implement technology in checking all the balls of the match because it will just take out all the pace of the match which is actually the USP of T20 format…Though umpires need to be more careful and warning should be given to erring umpires but I guess we just have to accept the human error being a part of the game which is played by ‘humans’…!
Something as stupid as checking every ball of the game would not just take the flair away from this beautiful sport but also make it completely boring. What happened in the match cannot just be certified as ‘Human error’. That is indeed negligence. If he was in a dilemma he had every opportunity to confirm and go upstairs to be sure. We’ve already seen errors by technology too doesn’t mean we blindly rely on them. I’m no expert to suggest BCCI what changes can be brought or what technology can be used to rectify this error. But, as fans we find it disheartening and there arouses the question ‘Was their any fixing’?
It is said, on an average Fast Bowlers take 5-6 min to bowl an Over. Whereas, Spinners take 4 - 5 avg min to bowl an over.
So, if we go by these numbers and your average of 20 secs to review a ball, then we do not need to set aside extra time to review each and every ball. As per Faf Du Plesis tweet, every ball can be reviewed in the background and a no ball communicated to Umpire through ear piece.
I am not fully in favor of the increase in use of technology in games where we have stopped enjoying the game with its flaws and imperfections. But I feel when technology is already widely used to review most of the game then why leave just few aspects to sole human judgement? Just a perspective to ponder upon and ensure a game’s outcome is fair and square. 
You can’t do anything about it. It is not possible to check every ball whether that is a no ball. It will take a lot of time. Moreover, it will impact the flow of the game. It is an impractical idea that cannot be executed. Yes, if the on-field umpires feel the same and want to confirm, that sounds ok. But the whole idea is based on the fact that the field umpires didn’t realize that it was a no ball! Even if the batting team feels that the bowler has delivered a no ball, they can ask for a check. This also sounds like a horrible idea to me, honestly. Who will concentrate on the bowler’s position and fielder placements? That’s not their job!
I am of the opinion of that if there is help is available it should be availed. We have cameras already there, we have 3rd umpire already there. Why not take advantage of it?
While romantics would like to have unpredictability, factor of drama etc to remain. It adds to the overall experience of sports. This kind of incidents add romance to sports. Remeber, Hand of God of Maradona, Eddie Futch not allowed Frazier to continue, In ICC WC 1992, Aus defeated India by 1 run and India was out of WC while on Six of Sachin was given as Four. All such incidents add to aura and legacy and let fans discuss it for decades.
After thinking a bit about this, I would say the use of technology for no-balls has both ups and downs. Not using tech and giving wrong decision many time results in a team losing a critical match rendering their efforts null. But again checking each and every delivery will take up too much time resulting in the loss of entertainment. So, I personally think that the current criteria are as good as it can be i.e, checking only the suspicious deliveries using technology while leaving others for field umpire’s decision.
