The DRS has changed everything

Kevin Pietersen - the man who dominated both Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan early in his career - has quite explicitly blamed the DRS for changing the way he played spin bowling. Andy Bull writes in the Guardian's Spin blog that Pietersen's batting isn't the only thing that has changed since the advent of the DRS.

During Pakistan's series victory over England it felt as though there was hardly a single facet of Test match cricket that had not been changed, one way or another, by the DRS; batting technique, bowling technique, the balance between bat and ball, the decision-making processes of the umpires and the experience of the spectators in the ground, all had been altered.

On the first day of the third Test, for instance, as well as 16 wickets there were eight referrals, seven of them for LBW appeals. The nuanced rhythm of the day's play, which should allow for languorous contemplation as well as demanding rapt attention, was disrupted. The narrative was reduced to a series of DRS talking points.