NEW DELHI, Mar 23: ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson has suggested that India’s bad experience of the Decision Review System when it was first trialled might have played a part in BCCI’s refusal to accept the controversial technology.
Richardson said it could take a long time for the BCCI to accept DRS and former players like Anil Kumble, who is now ICC Cricket Committee chairman, can play a role in influencing the Indian Board.
“They are a long way from saying ‘it’s a good idea’. I don’t think it’s necessarily only the administrators, say people like Anil Kumble for example. He’s going to take some persuading,” Richardson said.
“He (Kumble) was captain of the India team when they first trialled it and the technology wasn’t very good. The players weren’t used to it so every time the Indians asked for a review it went against them,” he told ‘Test Match Special’ radio programme of the BBC.
“I think it was Sehwag or one of their star batsmen who was given out by mistake by ball-tracking. It’s going to take a lot of influencing.”
India, along with Sri Lanka, were the first users of the DRS in 2008, when Kumble was India’s captain. Since technology then was not as enhanced as it is now, Richardson said it could take longer to convince the BCCI, the only Board not to have accepted DRS.
“Kumble is a very influential guy in Indian cricket at the moment, he is on their technical committee, their working group. He’s also now the chairman of our (ICC) cricket committee. Once these people start to see the benefits of DRS, that influence will probably filter back to the Tendulkars and the Dhonis. And once they are convinced, then the administrators will follow.”
Richardson also spoke about the ICC’s preparation for the World Test Championship, which is expected to be played for the first time in the summer of 2017.
“Once the Champions Trophy is finished, we’ll then make an effort to really promote the road to the World Test Championship finals,” he said.
“Every series that gets played (between 2013 and 2017) will essentially be counting to the qualification for the Test championship,” Richardson said.
“It’s a four-year period. We’ll start playing all the Test series in 2013 and around about January 2016 or 2017 will be the cut-off time. The top four at that time will go through to the semi-finals to be played in England in June or July in 2017.”
The tournament was initially scheduled for 2013, but was delayed due to the ICC’s commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors. (PTI)
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