Third Umpire to call front-foot no balls in England-Pakistan ODI series

In the upcoming One-Day International series between England and Pakistan, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is all set to trail a system where the third umpire will call the front foot no-balls.

The third umpire will be provided with a split-screen system which will show the feed from the four side-on cameras and he will have the options to view slow-motion, rewind and fast-forward the replays.

To convey the no-ball call, a “pager watch” will be used by the on-field umpires and it will vibrate when the third umpire calls a no ball.

In the eventuality where the “pager watch” fails, the third umpire will use the traditional verbal communication to convey his message.

Senior manager - umpires and referees at the ICC, Adrian Griffith revealed that the trial will be used as a study to ascertain if the third umpire can accurately call the front-foot no balls without increasing his workload in the game.

"This trial is being carried out to ascertain if there is a way in which front foot no-balls can be called more accurately and consistently, while also assessing the TV umpire's workload and identifying the impact it will have on the flow of the game,"

"While we need to find out if the technology set-up for this purpose is fit, at the same time we feel this is the right time to conduct the trial as the TV umpires will have more information than ever before to share with the on-field umpires, which, in turn, will help them in correct decision-making."

Griffith also confirmed that the ICC will conduct a training session on Monday and Tuesday to help the umpires get used to the new system.

"To ensure that the match officials are thoroughly briefed and trained for this trial, the ICC will conduct training sessions with the umpires and match referee in Southampton on Monday and Tuesday.

“The results of this technology trial will be shared with the ICC Cricket Committee, which will advise the ICC on future action.”

In case there are no side-on cameras available at any venue, the duty to call the front-foot no balls will be carried out by the on-field umpires in the traditional fashion.

© Cricket World 2016