India vs West Indies: Third umpire to call no-balls during IND vs WI T20Is, say reports

Third umpire to call no-balls: The International Cricket Council seems to be pondering over a new development regarding no-balls.

Supporting the previous reports of ICC (International Cricket Council) giving the responsibility of calling no-balls to the third umpire, the global cricketing body appears to have commenced work in that direction.

In the recent years, on-field umpires have failed to do justice with the no-balls. The ongoing trend of checking for no-balls once a batsman gets out has done no good to the whole problem.

Apart from international cricket, leagues such as the Indian Premier League has also witnessed instances of umpires erring when it comes to calling (or not) no-balls at crucial junctures in the match.

Need the third umpire to watch no balls. These are TOO MANY. T O O M A N Y https://t.co/sf0iqVSpny

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) November 22, 2019

An error committed during a Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians match had it in it to even affect the result of a match.

In another similar incident from last season, Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni entered the ground from the dugout to argue with the umpire after he committed a no-ball-related error.

Third umpire to call no-balls

The aforementioned incidents had given birth to reports of an extra TV umpire for calling no-balls in IPL 2020. While there hasn’t been a confirmation regarding the same as far as the IPL is concerned, an ICC spokesperson has hinted that the upcoming West Indies tour of India might witness the change.

ALSO READ: Why MS Dhoni was wrong in arguing with umpires during no-ball controversy vs RR

“Over the next few months, the ICC is going to conduct some trials where the third umpire is going to call no-balls. The first series will be the India-WI T20 and ODI series starting Dec 6,” an ICC was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

It is worth mentioning that the first T20I between India and West Indies will be played on December 6 in Hyderabad. The next two T20Is will be played on December 8 and 11 in Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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