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Cape Town - The International Cricket Council (ICC) might give bowlers the benefit of the doubt as they look to implement a new rule for giving batsmen out leg before wicket (LBW).
Under the current rule, batsmen can only be given out if 50 percent of the ball is in line or impacts the wicket. The new rule, according to Telegraph Sport, will now allow the ball a 25 percent leeway impacting an on-field decision.
Umpires call on the decision review system (DRS) to analyse decisions with near-perfect precision, with the on-field umpire call being taken to account when 50 percent or less of the delivery is pitching, impacting and whether it hits the wicket or not.
Former Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who sits on the ICC's committee, confirmed the news to Cricinfo saying:
"We sat in the cricket committee last week and we decided that the 50 percent rule should be reduced to 25 percent, so that recommendation will probably go in and it's something for the stakeholders and ICC to take up.
"Even the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) rule book says if it hits any part of the wicket it should be given out, so you are going away from all that with the 50 percent rule.
"That argument has been there for the last three or four years when captains are losing reviews so that is another reason the reduction came into play."
The change from 50 percent to 25 percent now means that up to 80 percent of a review could be given out.
The DRS has been controversial since its introduction into the game in 2008, since then teams could overturn an on-field umpire's call based on the percentage of the ball hitting the wicket, impacting or pitching.
The recommendations, which will be presented by former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble, will be discussed this month at the ICC's annual meeting in Edinburgh.
If approved, this new proposal might come into affect in Tests and one-day international cricket at the end of the September.
Former Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakarra went onto Twitter and welcomed this 25 percent proposal, but warned the affect the umpire's call has already on the actual game:
High time the ICC got rid of this umpires call. If the ball is hitting the stumps it should be out on review regardless of umps decision.
— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 9, 2016
The Umpires call makes a good review useless. It should be out or not out on review. Otherwise it becomes a bit of a farce
— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 9, 2016
The result of a review should not be ambiguous. We can't say it's hitting the stumps but we give the benefit of the doubt to the umpire
— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 9, 2016
