Let the third umpire check for foot fault no-ball

One that got away: This TV grab clearly shows Malinga overstepping while bowling the final ball. Courtesy: Hotstar  

The move will improve the quality of decision-making from the on-field officials

This has been an IPL of controversies. From ‘Mankading’ to no-balls being not spotted by umpires leading to temperamental flare-ups, it has had them all.

While Mankading is a largely personal issue — it is within the laws but not in the spirit of the game — it is up to the individual in question to take a call.

Use technology

However, in this age when so much technology is available, these no-balling bloomers can certainly be avoided.

These mistakes can kill a closely-fought game. Just look at the finish in the Mumbai Indians-Royal Challengers game on Thursday.

Had Lasith Malinga’s final delivery been rightly adjudged a no-ball, then the in-form AB de Villiers would have faced the last delivery — a free-hit — with six runs to get. Anything was possible.

No wonder RCB captain Virat Kohli was furious. In a game of small margins, umpiring blunders can be decisive.

The point is S. Ravi, the umpire who made the wrong call, is one of the better umpires in the country and part of ICC’s elite panel.

Truth to tell, adjudicating a foot fault no-ball was a lot easier when the backfoot no-ball rule was in place. There was nothing blocking the view of the umpire.

Obstruction of view

Now, with the frontfoot no-ball in play, the umpire does not often get a clear picture with the back foot of the bowler, on occasions, clouding the umpire’s view of the front foot.

It is not enough for the umpire to see the no-ball but he has to look out for wides, leg-before decisions, thin nicks, and bat-pad verdicts... all in a split second. It can be pretty hard.

When more technology is available, why not use it? Why cannot the third umpire — with cameras giving him a clear view of the bowling crease — check for no-ball off every delivery sent down in slow motion. And not just when the on-field umpire asks him in the event of a dismissal.

Such a move will not just keep the third umpire busy but also improve the quality of decision-making from the on-field umpires since they no longer have to look for the no-balls.

Right now, it is estimated that as many as three to four no-balls go unnoticed in every T20 innings. Those deliveries can be the difference between winning and losing.

Give the third umpire more responsibility.