DRS debate returns early in new BBL season

Australia legend Adam Gilchrist and Sydney Thunder skipper Callum Ferguson have urged Cricket Australia to again consider introducing the Decision Review System into the KFC BBL after three fan favourites were on the wrong end of umpiring errors in Canberra on Saturday.

Star trio Glenn Maxwell, Andre Fletcher and Usman Khawaja were all dismissed due to incorrect on-field decisions that would have been overturned on review had a challenge system been available.

Neither Ferguson nor Gilchrist criticised the on-field officials for their decision-making in the moment, but said ensuring fans weren’t deprived of seeing star players in the middle is important for the health of the competition.

“I’ve been pretty firm on this one for a long time and I believe it needs to happen and the sooner it happens the better,” Ferguson said after his side’s defeat to the Melbourne Stars at Manuka Oval.

“It’s going to save us some of those moments when the players who do bring people through the gates have an opportunity to review and make sure we don’t see too many howlers.

“It’s a tough gig, umpiring, and it gives them a bit of help too. I’ve been firm and I’ll continue to be firm that we need DRS.”

The high cost of the DRS technologies like Ultra Edge, Hot Spot and ball tracking – which is understood to be around $2 million for a full BBL season – is the main obstacle of introducing a challenge system in domestic cricket.

The fact BBL games are often played at two venues on the same day means ensuring those technologies are available at every match blows out the costs involved.

But both Ferguson and Gilchrist said even a watered-down version of the DRS would be better than nothing and allow the third umpire to overturn any obviously incorrect on-field decisions.

“You often hear discussion that the cost of it has got a fair bit to do with it … I can’t speak on behalf of the players, but I assume they would say ‘we don’t care about the level of technology, it doesn’t have to be what’s at every ICC sanctioned event’,” Gilchrist said during commentary on Fox Cricket.

“Even if it’s the cameras that are a bare minimum, let’s roll with it, we’ll roll the dice and if it doesn’t get picked up or it’s inconclusive, they’ll wear that.

"We don't want to see the biggest names in this tournament having to leave (the field) due to errors that can be very quickly overturned.”

Ferguson pointed out that third umpire intervention was trialled in the domestic one-day cup eight years ago, but that system was scrapped after just two matches after it came in for heavy criticism.

Fletcher and Khawaja were visibly frustrated at their dismissals on Saturday, with the West Indian even suggesting he wanted to send his LBW dismissal to the third umpire.

Maxwell conceded he’d not given the concept much thought, but said he’d prefer the full array of technologies to be available if the DRS was to be introduced.

“I think it’s got to be all or nothing,” he said.

“I think you’ve got to be able to make a definitive decision. And if they can’t decide whether or not it can be overturned, you don’t lose your review.

“We’ll know the rules at the start of the tournament, so you’ve just got to back the umpire’s decision and hope you’re on the right side of a couple as well.”