ICC cuts reviews

LONDON (AP):

Players' tactical use of video reviews for umpire decisions has pushed the International Cricket Council (ICC) to restrict the appeals teams can make in limited- overs cricket to one per innings.

The ICC's cricket committee recommended yesterday that its board halve the number of appeals in one-day and Twenty20 matches in the hope that players learn to challenge umpiring decisions only when they are convinced of an injustice.

There were frequent contentious appeals at the World Cup, which ended on April 2. Despite overwhelming evidence that umpires' on-field decisions were correct, teams often used them simply because they were available, to slow opponents' momentum or in the hope of securing an unlikely reprieve for a key player.

"They used them for tactical purposes rather than because they genuinely believed a mistake had been made," ICC general manager David Richardson said.

The committee, which is chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd and includes players, coaches and match officials, has also recommended to its members that the Umpire Decision Review System should be used in all Tests, reiterating that objections from India should be laid aside.

Richardson said the use of the system, to which both sides have to agree ahead of a match, had shown that umpires got an average 75 per cent of decisions right, which had improved perception of the standard of officiating.