The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Root calls for DRS to be used in Twenty20s
England star wants ICC review
England batsman Joe Root has called for the International Cricket Council to make DRS reviews available in Twenty20 internationals.
Root was wrongly given out lbw in the final over of India’s series-levelling win on Sunday, with umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin raising his finger despite a heavy inside edge.
Shamshuddin had earlier raised eyebrows by reprieving India captain Virat Kohli when a Chris Jordan delivery rapped the pads clean in front of middle stump.
On both occasions England would have happily referred the decision to the TV umpire – and been successful – but there is currently no provision for DRS in the shortest form of the game.
Captains are allowed two unsuccessful reviews every 80 overs in Test matches and one per innings in one-day internationals but the ICC has resisted any temptation to offer the option in T20s. There have been concerns that reviews would compromise the brevity of a format that is pitched as an all-action alternative to its lengthier cousins.
But Root feels that notion is already outdated.
“Is it time now for some sort of DRS in T20 cricket?” he said on the eve of the series decider in Bangalore.
“When the margins are so small and the smallest thing can turn a game of T20 cricket I do feel every opportunity to get the right decision should be taken. It’s as simple as that.
“I know you want to keep the speed of the game but with it being such small margins and so important for us to get things right – with bat or ball – it’s just as important to get the right decisions from the umpires as well.
“It would be quite nice to see maybe even one review for either side.”
England expressed their disappointment in Shamshuddin’s performance in their feedback to match referee Andy Pycroft but suggestions that the 46-yearold may swap roles with third umpire Nitin Menon for the decider in Bangalore today have come to nothing.
England (possible): J Roy, S Billings, J Root, E Morgan (c), B Stokes, J Buttler (wkt), M Ali, C Jordan, L Plunkett, A Rashid, T Mills. India (from): KL Rahul, M Pandey, V Kohli (c), Y Singh, MS Dhoni (wkt), S Raina, H Pandya, J Bumrah, A Mishrah, A Nehra, B Kumar, M Singh, Y Chalal, P Rasool, R Pant.