The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed that Real-Time Snickometer (RTS) will be part of the Decision Review System (DRS) in the forthcoming Ashes series, which begins in Brisbane on 21 November.
The decision-making technology that will be used as part of the Nine Network’s coverage of the Ashes includes Virtual Eye (ball tracking technology), Hot Spot and RTS.
Both Virtual Eye and Hot Spot are on the list of approved DRS technologies and can be used by TV umpires in any series in which they are available. The RTS is not yet on the list, but the ICC commenced the process of evaluating it for inclusion following the meeting of ICC member country Chief Executives in September, where broad support was shown for the new technology.
To assist with this evaluation, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board have agreed to use the RTS as part of the DRS during the upcoming Ashes series. The ICC and the host broadcaster, the Nine Network, have supported this initiative.
ICC’s General Manager - Cricket, Geoff Allardice, said: “The ICC has been monitoring the development of the RTS for the past 12 months, including its use in more than 50 days of cricket coverage during the English summer.
“We were happy to support the initiative of CA and the ECB because we believe it can improve the DRS by getting more decisions correct involving faint edges, to help the umpires make those decisions faster, and to help spectators and viewers better understand those decisions.”
ICC Umpire Performance and Training Manager, Simon Taufel, today conducted a training session with the umpires on the use of the RTS, and has also briefed both teams on the protocols that have been developed for its use, and the interpretations that will be used by the umpires. Taufel said: “The RTS will complement Hot Spot by providing an extra tool that umpires can use to find the conclusive evidence needed to overturn an on-field decision.”
The only other change to the DRS from the previous Ashes series is that teams will have their number of reviews topped-up to two after 80 overs of an innings.
The DRS Playing Conditions are covered in Appendix 2 of the Standard Test Match Playing Conditions that can be found here.