White lines to aid umpires in LBW calls

Close on the heels of discussions over a third on-field umpire, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to have white stump-to-stump lines painted on the pitch to help umpires adjudicate lbws. The new facility will be in place in all international games from October.

Reporting the decision, The Guardian said that the move was discussed during the ICC meetings at Lord's over the past week. The white lines, similar to the virtual mats TV viewers see during match telecast, was preferred over the third umpire using television technology to decide lbws. "We haven't decided whether to use an unbroken or dotted white line," said Dave Richardson, the ICC's cricket manager. "But this is an experiment worth introducing."

The Guardian report pointed out that such a system would be a disadvantage to bowlers. It would help batsmen gauge where the ball had pitched, doing away with the key batting skill of assessing line, particularly around the off stump.

The ICC may also introduce an earphone, wired to the stump microphone, for umpires to hear nicks more clearly. So what next? A hand-held TV monitor for the on-field umpires to see replays, hopefully?