DRS creates another controversy, this time in the New Zealand v Sri Lanka Test

The Decision Review System (DRS) has caused quite a stir in recent times and it continued to do so in the ongoing 2nd Test match between the home side New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The final match at Hamilton has provided one more example of the flaws prevailing in the use of technology in cricket. Sri Lanka’s bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake claimed the DRS system had “a lot of errors”, in the wake of what seemed to be an incorrect DRS call which cost the visitors a wicket.

The incident happened when Doug Bracewell angled a ball across left-hander Udara Jayasundera from over the wicket in Sri Lanka’s second innings. The Kiwis appealed on the assumption that it had brushed his gloves. There appeared to be no conclusive evidence that the batsman had gloved the ball on snicko or hotspot. The on-field umpire Paul Reiffel’s not out decision was overturned by the third umpire Richard Kettleborough, who relied on a seeming deviation from the glove. This deviation, seen from a rear camera angle, was later shown to be an optical illusion.

“What I saw on the TV – it looked like not out. I can’t talk about the umpiring. We haven’t spoken to anyone. Whatever the decision is made we have to take it. We have to have a real serious think about this DRS system. There are a lot of errors.” Ramanayake said.

Kettleborough had not seen a split-screen before making his decision. The broadcaster later put up a side-angle view of the dismissal, simultaneous with that rear angle, which seemed to show that the deviation seen on the rear angle came well before the ball had reached the glove. The batsman was given out which left the islanders furious.

New Zealand bowler Neil Wagner acknowledged that there was little evidence on hotspot or snicko. However, he thought the correct decision had been arrived at, due to the seeming deviation seen in that rear-angle shot.

Watch: The controversial DRS decision that went in favor of Nathan Lyon