ICC cricket committee backs wider use of ORS

The ICC cricket committee has recommended that the Officiating Replay System (ORS) be implemented more widely in cricket. The ORS is a system that has been trialled over the past year, whereby the third umpire has control over the replays he sees, instead of depending on the broadcaster to provide him with the appropriate footage.

"The committee unanimously supported the expanded use of this system in international cricket, and this recommendation will be considered by the chief executives later in June," the cricket committee stated on the ICC's website, following its meeting in Bangalore on June 3 and 4.

"The committee was very positive about the ORS used during the latter stages of the World T20 in Bangladesh, which consists of a dedicated screen and an operator who sits in the TV umpire's room and provides the TV umpire with instant replays from any camera angle," the statement said. "This system can be used in either DRS or non-DRS matches, and can help umpires make accurate decisions quickly, particularly on boundary and no-ball checks."

The ORS was first used in the 2013 Ashes in England, in a slightly different form. There, umpire Nigel Llong sat in a separate broadcast truck and effectively mirrored the role of the third umpire Kumar Dharmasena during the third Test at Old Trafford. Llong didn't have the authority to adjudicate, but had more control over replays. Since then, the ORS was implemented in its current form, whereby the third umpire can choose what replays he wants to see, for part of the series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the UAE in December and January, and at the World T20.

The ORS is a key experiment in the ICC's continuing bid to improve the DRS. At the meeting, the cricket committee also reviewed the performance of the DRS over the past year. The technology, it said, following improvements after a questionable showing in the Ashes, had resulted in a 4.4% increase in correct decisions this season.

"The committee also considered the performance of the DRS, from the technology and TV umpiring errors that occurred during the Ashes in the UK, to some of the noticeable improvements made to the DRS in the second half of the season," the statement said. "Overall the use of the DRS increased the correct decision rate by 4.4% during the season."