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'It's Not Like…,' Ex-ENG Skipper Rejects Ben Stokes’s Proposal To Scrap Umpire's Call

image-lsue6l53Crawley's dismissal sparked controversy [X.com]

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has pushed back against Ben Stokes' proposal to eliminate the umpire's call, arguing that it serves as a necessary buffer due to the inherent margin of error in technology, rather than merely protecting umpires.

Following England's resounding defeat by a historic 434-run margin in the third Test against India in Rajkot, Stokes raised concerns regarding the umpire's call in the Decision Review System (DRS). This call for change stemmed from the contentious dismissal of Zak Crawley in the second innings.

The veteran all-rounder argued that if the ball makes contact with the stumps, it should result in an out decision regardless of the initial on-field call.

While Hussain concurred with Stokes regarding Crawley's LBW decision, he disagreed with the notion of abolishing the umpire's call in cricket. 

He emphasised his support for the DRS and the umpire's call, highlighting the need for a safety net due to the technology's potential for error. 

“Technology can be fallible but I've always been very strong on the fact I like the DRS and I also like the umpire's call. Look at the shemozzle with VAR in football. It's just not like that in cricket. Stokes and others like Virat Kohli may want to get rid of it but umpire's call is not there to protect the officials it's there because of the margin of error in the technology," Hussain wrote in his column for The Daily Mail. 

Hussain asserted a firm stance against what he perceived as an inconsistency in the game's rules that could undermine fairness.

Under the current DRS regulations, if ball-tracking indicates the ball clipping the stumps, the on-field umpire's decision takes precedence. If the on-field decision is out, it remains unchanged, and if it is not out, the third umpire cannot overturn it based solely on ball-tracking evidence.

Stokes is not alone in advocating for the elimination of the umpire's call; former Indian captain Virat Kohli has also voiced support for this change in the past.