IPL furores show it's time for Laws to change... and for fourth umpires to be given more responsibility

SIMON HUGHES: The conversation amongst the senior Rajasthan Royals players watching the exciting climax of the Royal Challengers Bangalore run chase against the Mumbai Indians, was that the fourth umpire should be monitoring no-balls all innings

A lively start to the IPL, then! All we need now is a punch up on the field and a red card and we have a complete set of controversies.

The broadcasters of course are loving it. The pontifications on the Mankad on Monday and the missed no ball off the last delivery on Thursday (with seven to win) are still rumbling away on about 25 different channels in India.  

What is clear is that some Laws need changing. Again. More thought needs to be given to the phrasing of the run out Law, as it is very difficult, given the power of modern batsmen,  to expect the non-striker to watch the bowler to check he has released the ball every time before directing his attention down the other end.

Especially with a fast bowler he is going to need to keep his eye trained on his partner incase he smashes one back at him.

He can keep half a glance on the bowler, as Jos Buttler presumably did, but that may not be enough to be absolutely sure he has released the ball. Perhaps a clause relating to the non-striker, that he can only be given out if he is obviously attempting to run before the ball is released, could be inserted. 

^{Jos Buttler is run out by R Ashwin}

The conversation last night amongst the senior Rajasthan Royals players watching the exciting climax of the Royal Challengers Bangalore run chase against the Mumbai Indians, was that the fourth umpire should be monitoring no-balls all innings.

“I mean he is not doing a lot else!” said one, after Lasith Malinga’s last-ball transgression was only picked on replays as the teams were shaking hands. 

It would be an easy thing to set up. In fact its something I’ve been recommending since about 2002 when Waqar Younis took a number of wickets in a Test match at Old Trafford with no balls that umpire David Shepherd unaccountably missed.

All that would be needed is for the fourth umpire to be supplied with the fixed camera front-line feed from Hawkeye and a facility to rewind the picture. The camera angle is already there. It just needs a bit of wiring to supply a direct feed to the match officials position (at present they rely on the TV director sending them the correct angles only if a review has been called for on the field).

That way the fourth umpire can keep an eye on all bowlers, especially ones like Malinga who are forever close to overstepping, and make sure no transgressions are missed. On-field Umpires are nervous of calling no-balls incase they get it wrong. The fourth umpire can help him out.

But, with more advents of Mankadding likely after Ravi Ashwin’s actions on Monday night, he’s going to be potentially quite busy.

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