By IANS
Sydney : Former Australian pace bowler and budding Test umpire Paul Reiffel says cricket should follow tennis’ lead and implement a challenge rule, the Australian media reported Sunday.
“You want the right decision to be made. It doesn’t bother me how you get it. If it’s there and available straight away, you (should) look at it,” Reiffel was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun.
But he said technology needed to improve to allow an immediate investigation and guard against unduly lengthy delays.
“You don’t want everyone to be waiting and waiting all the time. It’d slow down the game too much,” he said.
Now a regular first-class umpire with aspirations to go higher, Reiffel said batsmen should not be blamed for not walking as their livelihoods were at stake.
In the Sydney Test, Australia’s top scorer Andrew Symonds conceded he had been caught at the wicket at 30 on his way to a career-best 162 not out.
Reiffel doesn’t necessarily agree fielding captains should be able to challenge as many as three decisions per innings.
“But let’s look to improve the situation and embrace the technology if it means less controversy and contention,” he said.
“The trouble in the past is that the technology hasn’t quite been in place and the players have said they don’t want it.”
But Reiffel disagrees that the best umpires such as Sydney-born Simon Taufel should be able to stand anywhere and anytime, even in their home cities.
“I know having had 15 years’ experience (playing) with Victoria, that I’m more comfortable standing in games interstate involving teams other than Victoria,” he said.
One of Australia’s most highly rated former umpires Robin Bailhache said he didn’t like the idea of a referral system as it wasn’t in the spirit of the game for umpires’ decisions to be challenged.
“I have no problem if it (extra technology) gets the right decision, as long as it is not abused,” Bailhache said.
“You don’t want the umpire to look like a goose.”