The controversial Decision Review System of the International Cricket Council will not just reduce umpiring errors but also ensure more batsmen walk when they edge behind, feels ICC's Cricket Operations manager Dave Richardson.
The system, which has been opposed by the Cricket Boards of India and South Africa due to the heavy cost involved in installing the technology, went into operation in the Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand that started on Tuesday.
"I quite like the idea of putting a bit of responsibility on them, they are very quick to shake their heads and wave their bat around when they get an inside edge," Richardson said in Brisbane.
"Let's see how brave they are when it comes to actually taking that responsibility. Initially when we spoke we thought a possible indirect benefit might be that batsmen, when they do edge a ball, won't hang around and will walk anyway because they will be inevitably given out in the long run and they might be shown up as, not cheats, but certainly not playing within the spirit," he added.
Talking about the system which allows players to appeal an on-field umpire's decision, Richardson said the percentage of correct decisions improved by six per cent during the 11-Test trial and the instances of unnecessarily appeals also went down.
"We've found in the trials that the vociferous appealing, and appealing when you know it's not out, just to try to convince the umpire, has seemed to go out of the game," Richardson said.
"What's worse for the game, Steve Bucknor's effigy getting burnt in India from a bad decision or the opportunity to rectify his mistake and hopefully improving the spirit by saying to the players: it's your game, your responsibility. You hit it, you walk, if you don't think it's out, don't appeal," he explained.
On suggestions that the system would undermine the authority of on-field officials, Richardson said the use of technology has become imperative because of the replays available to a huge TV audience.
"Unfortunately in this day and age the guy's not out when the umpire raises his finger, he's out when Ian Chappell or Mark Nicholas says he's out," Richardson said.
"It's so important for the person at home watching on television to understand that we are still not going to get 100 per cent of the decisions right, because there are going to be some decisions that aren't conclusive from the technology point of view. The obvious ones we'll eradicate," he added.
