The ICC needs to dump Hot Spot from Decision Review System system

THE ICC should drop Hot Spot - which was only ever envisaged for "entertainment purposes" - from the Decision Review System.

AS England and Australia ponder selection for the fourth Test, which starts in Durham on Friday, the ICC should consider its own: Hot Spot should be dropped from the Decision Review System (DRS) protocol.

So far, the issues with DRS have provoked public queries from executives of both the ECB and Cricket Australia. A review of the system should result in a letter the other way: the ICC should inform both sides that Hot Spot is creating controversy not solving it and, like an umpire who is going through a crisis of confidence, it needs a breather.

There is little chance of this happening mid-series. Wally Edwards, the chairman of Cricket Australia, and Giles Clarke, his opposite number, have discussed DRS at length this summer, but their boards will take soundings from players, coaches and, possibly, broadcasters before any recommendations are made.

Any tweak of the system could happen before the return series in Australia, at the agreement of both boards. Both will be reluctant to back-track from technology, though, because of the public reluctance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to embrace it. The Indian authorities would leap on any loss of faith in any part of the DRS protocol, even though they would be aware that the system worked successfully before Hot Spot was introduced.

The number of column centimetres devoted to technology this series has been unfortunate. Marais Erasmus said before the first Test that a good umpire is judged by how well he stays out of the limelight - so should technological aids. Given the importance of a wicket during a Test-match day, however, and how much influence DRS has over so many, debate over its use cannot be avoided.

Most of the controversies have involved the use of Hot Spot and its ability to pick up the faint edges - an uncertainty confirmed by the inventor, Warren Brennan, during the Lord's Test. Virtually every batsman has had reason to ponder its efficacy: Kevin Pietersen, David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith, notably, at Old Trafford.

It is true that human error, from the third umpire's chair, has added to the problems, but having worked in television for a number of years, I can only say I would have struggled to know what decision to give on a number of occasions. Given that Hot Spot is clearly unable to pick up many fine edges, how much credence does the third umpire ascribe to it?

How much weight does he give to the various bits of evidence that are often conflicting - sound, deviation and infra-red technology - given the underlying principle to stay with the on-field umpire's decision as far as is possible? Umpires have become confused, as have the players.

There are many misconceptions about the technology. Paul Marsh, the head of the Australian Cricketers' Association, ridiculously attempted to pass on the blame to the host broadcaster when he claimed that the camerawork and production was of poorer quality than in Australia. The players talk as if they believe that gizmos such as Hot Spot and "Snicko" are infallible - and clearly they have had a rude awakening.

Spectators would do well to understand that the technology underpinning DRS was only ever originally envisaged as part of the "entertainment" package, an extra snippet for television viewers on which to feast. The various technological aids have been developed by entrepreneurs, accepted and paid for by television and then only more lately by the game's governing body - without any financial contribution, or without any control over its use.

Readers may remember the concerns expressed here when DRS first came into use. The principal source of disquiet was the amount of interpretation of leg-before decisions required by the third umpire in the absence of Hawk-Eye's projection beyond the point at which the ball had hit pad. Once the projected path was allowed, along with the "traffic light" system now in operation, the third umpire was no longer required to interpret evidence and the system has been accepted, if not universally, then certainly by the vast majority of players.

Removing Hot Spot would once again reduce the element of interpretation. The reason? Once Hot Spot is no longer a part of the process, players will - or should if they are thinking logically - refrain from reviewing the fine edges, and review only those obvious or thick edges that they believe would be seen by the naked eye or a close-up replay - the Stuart Broad edge at Trent Bridge, rather than the Pietersen dismissal at Old Trafford.

Viewers, of course, would still see the Hot Spot imagery as part of the television experience, but at least the players would know where they stand, which would make errors by the on-field umpires easier to accept.

The technology would once again be there to prevent obvious errors and the notion that complete accuracy is obtainable would recede.

DRS is not part of the Laws of the game, and therefore any change would simply require a change to the playing conditions. We have already seen one example of that this summer, when the playing hours for the Champions Trophy final between England and India were extended with the agreement of both sides.

Given the loss of confidence in Hot Spot, agreement would be inevitable in time. One further area of doubt with Hot Spot is the ability of the players, bat manufacturers and teams to circumvent its application.

There were unsubstantiated rumours two summers ago about the use of Vaseline on bat edges, and now, unsubstantiated again, are whispers that players are experimenting with the use of fibre-glass tape.

No evidence has emerged to substantiate these rumours - and all bats have clear protective film on the bat face and along the edges - but when we have seen sportsmen go to such lengths as breaking the law, and abusing their bodies to try to get an advantage, it would be no surprise to see them experimenting with products (quite legally, in the case of fibre-glass tape) that might gain them an edge, so to speak.

The fall of a wicket during a Test match is the day's most significant event - it pays to make sure that the technology that impacts on this crucial juncture is causing less controversy, not more. At the moment, Hot Spot is doing a perfectly good DRS system more harm than good.

The Times