What and Why is Umpire's Call? #euphoriacricket
The Umpire’s call in simple words means whatever the decision of the on-field Umpire it remains. However, determining the Umpire’s call is not that simple. I am going to assume you guys know the basics of LBW and move forward in the video. The Umpire takes into consideration 3 things while giving a batter out LBW, Pitching, Impact and whether it’s hitting stumps or not.
Pitching:
There is no Umpire’s Call for pitching, the umpire’s call is not applicable for the pitching zone as the ball tracking technology can detect where the ball has pitched with utmost accuracy. It’s either red or green.
According to the ICC, if more than 50 per cent of the ball is pitching outside the line then it will be considered outside the line, if more than 50% of the ball is pitching inside the line then it’s in the bowler’s favour. I couldn’t find an answer for when 50% of the ball is pitching inline and 50% of it is pitching outside leg but I’m going to assume it goes into batter’s favour.
Impact:
For impact, the ball has to be completely in line for a batter to be given out, if the impact of the ball is completely outside off then it is not out. If between 1% and 50 % of the ball is in the line and half the ball is out, the decision defers back to the umpire's original decision and the impact is given the Umpire’s Call.
The umpire’s call will also come into play when the impact is a long way from the stumps. if the impact was more than 300cm or 3m away from the stumps then also the umpire’s call remains. In this case, as the batter gets further away from the stumps, the margin of error in the system that predicts the ball’s path increases. There is only so much information that can be gathered from cameras 100 meters away.
This rule also comes into play if the batter is more than 250cm or more from the stumps and the distance between the ball pitching and hitting the batter is 40cm or less.
So if a batter is outside the crease and the ball 'half-volleys' into their pad, the decision is going to stay with the umpire as there isn't enough information for ball tracking to predict where the ball is going to go.
Wickets:
The wickets zone has long been a bone of contention for the system and it has been tweaked on several occasions in the DRS's short history.
As it stands today (December 2023), the wickets zone spans from the base of the stumps to the outside of the outer stumps to the top of the stumps.
Confusingly, 'top of the stumps' here includes the bails. Before April 2021, the wickets zone only extended to the bottom of the bails, meaning that deliveries that were clipping the bails would remain umpire's call. In the wickets case, If between 1% and 50% of the ball is hitting the stumps and half the ball is out or above, the decision defers back to the umpire's original decision and the wickets is given the Umpire’s Call.
Pitching:
There is no Umpire’s Call for pitching, the umpire’s call is not applicable for the pitching zone as the ball tracking technology can detect where the ball has pitched with utmost accuracy. It’s either red or green.
According to the ICC, if more than 50 per cent of the ball is pitching outside the line then it will be considered outside the line, if more than 50% of the ball is pitching inside the line then it’s in the bowler’s favour. I couldn’t find an answer for when 50% of the ball is pitching inline and 50% of it is pitching outside leg but I’m going to assume it goes into batter’s favour.
Impact:
For impact, the ball has to be completely in line for a batter to be given out, if the impact of the ball is completely outside off then it is not out. If between 1% and 50 % of the ball is in the line and half the ball is out, the decision defers back to the umpire's original decision and the impact is given the Umpire’s Call.
The umpire’s call will also come into play when the impact is a long way from the stumps. if the impact was more than 300cm or 3m away from the stumps then also the umpire’s call remains. In this case, as the batter gets further away from the stumps, the margin of error in the system that predicts the ball’s path increases. There is only so much information that can be gathered from cameras 100 meters away.
This rule also comes into play if the batter is more than 250cm or more from the stumps and the distance between the ball pitching and hitting the batter is 40cm or less.
So if a batter is outside the crease and the ball 'half-volleys' into their pad, the decision is going to stay with the umpire as there isn't enough information for ball tracking to predict where the ball is going to go.
Wickets:
The wickets zone has long been a bone of contention for the system and it has been tweaked on several occasions in the DRS's short history.
As it stands today (December 2023), the wickets zone spans from the base of the stumps to the outside of the outer stumps to the top of the stumps.
Confusingly, 'top of the stumps' here includes the bails. Before April 2021, the wickets zone only extended to the bottom of the bails, meaning that deliveries that were clipping the bails would remain umpire's call. In the wickets case, If between 1% and 50% of the ball is hitting the stumps and half the ball is out or above, the decision defers back to the umpire's original decision and the wickets is given the Umpire’s Call.