Haddin calls for DRS consistency

Brad Haddin, Australia's wicketkeeper, has said the use of technology to review decisions should be made uniform across international cricket or thrown out altogether following another day of close decisions and inconclusive replays in Sri Lanka.

Often at the centre of Australia's appeals for the use of the DRS, Haddin was twice convinced he had caught Tharanga Paranvitana on the fourth afternoon of the Test. On the first occasion he was denied due to the lack of conclusive evidence and may have been fortunate to be given the second one, off the bowling of Michael Hussey, after it too seemed to have only circumstantial backing on the replays offered by the host broadcaster.

"There was a good noise [on the first one]," Haddin said of a legside catch off the bowling of Mitchell Johnson. "I was pretty confident that we'd nicked the glove. Young Uzzy [Usman Khawaja] at bat-pad thought he'd seen it come straight off the glove but it wasn't to be.

"It's pretty hard with those ones in general for umpires where it comes off the glove or the hip or the bat. It's pretty hard with no Hotspot as well; it's hard to make a decision. I was pretty confident then that we got some glove.

"I was 100% sure there was an edge [on the second appeal] and I said so to Michael [Clarke]. We were a bit nervous when it went up stairs because there was no Hotspot. We threw the dice a bit but I was 100% sure there was an edge."

Haddin argued that technology had to be consistently applied if it was to be used, as players and umpires were constantly forced to re-adjust their sights under the current system, a product of political expediency and cost constraints.

"My opinion on it is that I think it needs to be consistent all around the world," Haddin said. "I think it needs to be the same. I don't think you can chop and change from series to series. I think if you've got the technology there you might as well use it and if not don't use it at all and leave it up to the umpires.

"I think it's important with Test cricket that everything's consistent. If you're going to have Hotspot for other series, you need to have it for this. That's only my view, I think it all needs to be consistent and one message, wherever you're playing in the world."

Australia's chances of victory in the second Test appear to hinge on the second new ball, a fact acknowledged by Haddin.

"That's why we were trying to get through some over pretty quick today from about 70-odd so we could maybe have three or four overs with it tonight but it wasn't to be the case," Haddin said. "The game basically sits on the first session tomorrow. We've got to do damage with the new ball. If we don't it's going to be tough work from there.

"It's a good wicket but it's up to us to make sure we make things happen. With that we've got to make sure with the new ball that we're getting them driving and making sure we're trying to create chances either behind the wicket or possibly even some short catches. It's important that we bowl well with the new ball and get the new ball up there, make them play as much as we possibly can to have a real red-hot crack in this first session. It's a pretty important part of the game."

Sri Lanka's success on day four was based on an opening stand of 81 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Paranavitana. However Haddin pointed out they were fortune not to edge any number of balls from Ryan Harris and Trent Copeland early on.

"They played and missed a bit with that new ball and probably had a bit of luck go their way rather than find the edge and have it go to hands. That was the big difference there [from other innings]," Haddin said. "You need to create chances with the new ball on these sort of wickets. I actually thought we bowled quite well but the chances they weren't there for us today.

"[It was a] typical day of Test cricket. It's a good batting wicket, we had two pretty good players at the end and we've got to do damage with the new ball tomorrow to get a result out of this game."