London: As part of an International Cricket Council (ICC) trial, front-foot no-balls will be called by the third umpire in the upcoming England-Pakistan one-day international series. The TV umpire will have a split-screen view of the four side-on cameras.
The five-match series, which begins in Southampton on Wednesday, will be the first in which the third umpire has been given such authority. This will allow him to signal the on-field officials via a vibrating watch within a few seconds of the delivery. On-field umpires will not call front-foot no-balls without the TV umpire’s advice unless cameras are unavailable.
Adrian Griffith, the ICC’s senior manager of umpires and referees, said: “This trial is being carried out to ascertain if there is a way in which front-foot no-balls can be called more accurately and consistently, while also assessing the TV umpire’s workload and identifying the impact it will have on the flow of the game.”