TV umpire to call front-foot no-balls in England-Pakistan Test series

Front-foot no-balls will be called by the TV umpire for the first time in Test cricket during the England-Pakistan series which begins on Wednesday as the system is assessed with a view to further use in the future.

ESPNcricinfo understands since the technology has been used successfully in the ICC events, including the World Cup Super League recently, and all the necessary equipment is already in the UK, both England and Pakistan were keen to use it.

It is understood that the ICC will forward the results of the trial to the chief executive committee to determine whether it can be used consistently in the future World Test Championship series.

Of late, there has been increasing scrutiny over the volume of no-balls not called by the on-field umpires in Test cricket. Under this system, all calling of front-foot no-balls is left to the TV umpire who then alerts the on-field officials of any overstepping within a matter of seconds.

In a tweet, the ICC said: "Front foot no ball technology to be used in ICC World Test Championship series featuring England and Pakistan, with the support of both teams. Performance of the technology in these Tests will be reviewed before any decisions taken on its future use in Test cricket."

On England's tour of Sri Lanka in 2018, broadcasters counted as many as 12 no-balls missed by the umpires during one five-over spell. In last year's Australia-Pakistan series, Channel 7 tallied up to 21 had been missed during two sessions on the second day in Brisbane while there were further examples in the recently completed England-West Indies series.