There has to be way to try, improve it somehow: Pat Cummins on third umpire catch calls
Jan 09, 2023
Sydney [Australia], January 9 : After three low catches went in favour of the batters during the drawn third Test against South Africa in Sydney, Australia captain Pat Cummins wants a better method of adjudicating them.
Three times at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) the TV official ruled that slip catches did not carry.
Sydney match umpires lodged reviews for three catches taken low to the ground in the slips at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Third umpire Richard Kettleborough discovered evidence that the ball had contacted the ground on each occasion before the fielder had a chance to handle it. Therefore, none of the catches was offered.
Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Hazlewood, teammates of Cummins, had previously proposed that the first step in altering the way such catches were adjudicated would be to do away with the on-field umpire's soft signal, given that the third umpire overturned it twice out of three times. However, that suggestion is no longer relevant unless the third umpire's access to technology is disrupted.
"I don't really know the answers but there has to be a way to try and improve it somehow," ESPNcricinfo quoted Cummins saying after the Test against South Africa ended in a draw.
"As it currently stands, it's really hard to give a batter out. If there's any kind of benefit of the doubt, it goes the batter's way. I think with a couple of camera angles really slowed down, it's pretty hard to not find doubt somewhere. I do feel for Ketts a little bit up there," he added.
Dean Elgar, captain of South Africa, expressed his satisfaction that the umpires remained impartial throughout the game despite being visibly angry when his team received the initial non-catch call.
"The way the umpires conducted the three was pretty good. I think it was brilliant. Once you've set the bar with the first one, you can't really budge much from there. Those things are always going to be a grey area, some guys will say out, and some guys will say not out. At the end of the day, their decision is final and as players, we respect that," he said.
