Hawk-Eye dismisses doubts over Tendulkar lbw

Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company responsible for the ball-tracking technology used in the DRS during the World Cup, has sought to dismiss doubts over the accuracy of the technology during the semi-final between India and Pakistan when an lbw decision against Sachin Tendulkar was overturned by the referral system. The company has published a detailed report of the Tendulkar referral on its website.

"The path Hawk-Eye showed was accurate and the Decision Review System was used correctly to overturn the umpire's original decision," Stephen Carter, managing director of Hawk-Eye Innovations told the Guardian. "The Hawk-Eye track lines up perfectly with the video of the real ball from release to impact point."

Tendulkar was ruled out lbw by umpire Ian Gould in the 11th over, bowled by Saeed Ajmal when on 23 (he went on to make 85). After much deliberation, Tendulkar asked for a referral and replays showed that the ball, delivered from an angle, pitched outside the line of off stump before turning in to hit his front pad in front of middle. Hawk-Eye suggested that the ball would have gone on to miss leg stump. Ajmal, after the game, expressed bafflement, claiming he had bowled an arm ball that went on straight when it had appeared as though the ball had been an offspinner that spun down after pitching in line.

"The commentators said on air that Tendulkar had been 'caught on the crease'," Carter said on his website. "From the front-on angle it does look like Tendulkar has been hit when batting in his crease. However, Tendulkar was almost two metres out of his crease when struck."

He also dismissed suggestions that the wrong ball may have been superimposed during the referral. "Theoretically it is possible but in a practical sense you couldn't superimpose a wrong ball," he said. "It would not line up perfectly and it would be perfectly obvious to everybody."