Indian umpire to man review system: Strauss, Smith have doubts - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The review umpire at Centurion is one of the least experienced on the Test circuit, India's Amiesh Saheba, who has stood in only two Tests and been TV umpire six times - but never in a match where the review system was being used. Saheba's presence is likely to make the captains of England and South Africa- Andrwew Strauss and Graeme Smith - more nervous. They have already expressed misgivings about the ICC umpire review system. Under the controversial system, now meant to be in place for all Test cricket, teams can ask for a decision to be reviewed by the TV umpire using all technology available, including Hawk-Eye. Both batsmen and bowlers can ask for the second opinion. But once a team have had two referrals rejected, that is their allocation used up for the innings. The idea is that patently poor decisions over lbws and close catches are eliminated. The ICC maintain the review system means 97 per cent of decisions will be correct compared to the average of 91 per cent under the traditional system. The Daily Express however quoted Strauss as saying: "We have to trial it. There are some reservations and in some of the recent games where it has been used those reservations have not been erased." Smith said: "I have my doubts. It needs to prove its worth to me in this series. We had a few frustrations with it in the last series against Australia. We felt that it probably caused a few more frustrations than added value."