India leave England stumped on technology

England will hope that the weather favours their seam attack, led by James Anderson [GALLO/GETTY]

England could emerge from their series against India as the number one Test nation in the world, but one thing they’ve already been unable to do is dislodge the Indians from their position on technology.

Players will not be able to appeal leg-before decisions during India’s tour of England after the Indian board (BCCI) objected to the use of ball-tracking.

The ICC excluded the technology from the mandatory requirements for the Decision Review System (DRS) at its annual meeting in Hong Kong last month.

The BCCI had been opposing DRS’s mandatory use in all Test and one-day internationals as it felt the ball-tracking technology was “unreliable” – but the ICC’s new version finally won the Indian board over.

The minimum standards of infra-red technology and stump microphones will be used during the tour, which starts on Thursday at Lord’s and includes four Tests, five one-day internationals and a lone Twenty20 match.

“While we are disappointed that the full DRS will not be used to support the umpires, we are pleased that the ECB and BCCI have worked hard to ensure the minimum DRS is used in this much anticipated series,” ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement on Wednesday.
 
“It is common knowledge that the ICC and ECB would have liked ball tracking to have been included so that LBW decisions could have also been reviewed, but the last chief executives committee and board meeting in Hong Kong agreed to independently confirm the accuracy of ball-tracking technology.

“This will now take place as a matter of urgency.”

Both boards are required to agree if the ‘Hawkeye’ ball tracking technology has to be included in DRS, as per ICC regulations.

‘Bullying’

The umpires, New Zealander Billy Bowden and Pakistan’s Asaf Rauf, will be feeling the pressure even more after Australian umpire Daryl Harper quit cricket early, accusing Indian cricketers of adopting “bullying” tactics on the field during the recent series against West Indies.

England will be confident after a convincing series victory over Sri Lanka, and the home team could once again be helped by cool, overcast conditions that assist seamers like James Anderson and Chris Tremlett.

Fast bowler Stuart Broad is likely to get the nod from coach Andy Flower over Tim Bresnan.

Flower denied Broad was being used as an “enforcer” to unsettle batsmen.

“His job is to create pressure and to take wickets and to do that you generally bowl at off stump,” Flower told the Guardian newspaper.

India, the world number one Test team and one-day world champions, have the most feared batting lineup, but will be without explosive opener Virender Sehwag for at the least the first two Tests because of a shoulder injury.