Australia's David Warner has sought an explainer on the Decision Review System after growing increasingly frustrated by a series of line-ball calls at the 50-over World Cup.Frustration was so big that Warner furiously smashed his bat against his pad and yelled in umpire Joel Wilson's direction as he departed after adjudging leg before. The Hawkeye technology showed the ball hitting leg stump to return an 'umpire's call' verdict.
Warner implied that there is a mismatch between the onfield happenings and the images flashed on Hawkeye, suggesting that the technology focuses on ball-tracking, not the movement of the ball, either off the pitch or in the air.Speaking to Australia Cricket, Warner said: "I asked Joel when I was out there just what happened, why did he give it out. He said the ball was swinging back so to his credit, if he thinks that then that's why he's given a decision.
"But then when you see the replay of how it unfolded you get a little bit annoyed, (but) that's out of our control. I just sprayed out loud in frustration pretty much just (to) myself."(The ball) kept low and normally when something hits me on the leg on the outside, I know it's pretty much going down leg."So he (Wilson) said it was swinging back, (but) from my perspective on the replay, it wasn't."
Warner also said: "At the moment, we seem to be waiting for (ball-tracking)," said Warner. "And as a player you get more frustrated because you think: 'did they line it up, what's the impact points, how many impact points are there before it goes on'."In England, the ball bounces and it actually moves once it's bounced, not just off the seam but in the air it can move, so there's just little things that as a player you get frustrated because there's no explanation … but there has to be some accountability."
Warner demanded greater transparency on how DRS decisions are adjudicated. "I've never had Hawk-Eye come in and explain to us how the technology actually works, it's just for the TV," the 36-year-old said following Australia's five-wicket win over Sri Lanka."If they could come in and explain to us how it works, then sometimes we might (choose) not to refer or to refer."Warner said he felt like ball-tracking verdicts were "taking a lot longer than what it would in Australia".
The Decision Review System was introduced in 2008, ahead of Warner's international debut.The ICC uses Sony-owned Hawk-Eye for ball-tracking at its global events, while for international matches in Australia, the DRS is provided by New Zealand-based Virtual Eye, which also works with Fox Cricket.The Seven Network uses Hawk-Eye technology for analysis on its broadcasts. (UNI)
