DRS has changed the game

The Economist's sports blog Game Theory looks at how DRS has altered many aspects of cricket - the way batsmen play spinners, the increased boldness of umpires when it comes to lbw decisions, the reduction in the tension between teams, and the introduction of a new tactical angle to the sport.

DRS has also made cricket more civil. Because the teams themselves now have a stake in the decision-making, captains can no longer berate an umpire’s perceived bias or accuse a batsman of poor sportsmanship. If they are convinced of their case, they can refer it to a higher authority. It is now unthinkable that play might be halted for a day because of accusations of umpiring impropriety, as happened following the Shakoor Rana affair during England’s tour of Pakistan in 1987. The recent series was played in a fine spirit even though the two sides have a long history of cricketing acrimony.