Glenn McGrath Targets The Use Of Umpire's Call, Vouches For Its Abandonment

Former Australia seamer Glenn McGrath has joined the debate around the Decision Review System (DRS)’s umpire call rule. Even though the DRS has helped the teams hugely since its advent, it has its flaws that have been challenging to overlook. Like many cricketers, Glenn McGrath called for the umpire’s call law to be eradicated moving forward.

According to the ICC’s guidelines, the on-field decision stays if the umpire has no conclusive evidence to reverse it. In the case of LBW appeals, the on-field call remains intact if more than half of the ball misses the stumps even after clipping the stumps. The same has been a massive subject of debate in recent times, especially the ongoing Test series between Australia and India.

The likes of Sachin Tendulkar and former international umpire Daryl Harper have also raised their voices against the umpire’s call rule. One of those instances came along on day three of the third Test between Australia and India when David Warner had to depart after umpire Paul Reiffel adjudged him out. Ball-tracking showed that the tossed-up delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin was marginally clipping the bails and the batsman had to leave since the umpire ruled him out.

I would like to see a little change in DRS: Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath revealed that he dislikes the umpire’s call rule, mentioning that it needs to be black and white. McGrath referred to David Warner’s LBW dismissal, claiming that it was out and that even if the ball marginally clips the bails, the batsman stays dismissed. The 124-Test veteran called for the system to be crystal-clear and that nothing must remain in the grey area.

“I don’t like umpire’s call, I think we need to get rid of it and just have it black and white. To me that’s (David Warner’s LBW dismissal) not umpire’s call, that’s out. If that is not out then nothing is out half the time. I would like to see a little change in DRS,” McGrath said on Sony Sports Network.

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