TV umpires to call front-foot no-balls in ICC trial

DUBAI: TV umpires may soon become the sole adjudicators of front-foot no-balls, if planned ICC trials prove successful. The ICC will identify a number of limited-overs series over the next six months for implementing a system where the TV umpire - and not the on-field umpires - will call no-balls for overstepping.

The system has been trialed before, notably in the ODI series between England and Pakistan in 2016, but it will be rolled out on a much broader scale this time.

“Broadly, yes [the same technology as 2016 will be used],” Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s general manager for cricket operations, told ESPNcricinfo. “The idea is the third umpire will be presented an image of the front-foot landing within a few seconds. He would communicate to the on-field umpire that a no-ball has been delivered, so every delivery on the field would be played as a fair delivery until called otherwise.”During the previous trial, a Hawkeye operator presented a still image to the third umpire independent of the normal broadcast.