Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan demanded clarity in the Hawk-Eye decision-making process following Joe Root’s contentious dismissal on Day 3 of the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi.
Despite a remarkable century in the first innings, the 33-year-old’s importance in the game shifted when he was given out LBW off Ravichandran Ashwin while batting on 11. However, the decision raised questions as a significant portion of the ball seemed to pitch outside the leg stump.
In his piece for The Telegraph, Vaughan wrote:
“So here is a simple solution to help improve transparency and accountability: stick a camera and microphone in the truck so as that a decision is being made, we all know exactly what is going on, and how much humans are involved.”
“And if you stick an ICC official in there as well we would know that the integrity – something we talk so much about in the game – is intact. You could argue that those running the technology in the truck are as important as the two standing umpires.”
Regrettably for England, Root’s dismissal led them to collapse from 65/3 to 145 all-out, relinquishing their first-innings advantage. India will commence their second innings at 40/0, requiring an additional 152 runs to secure an insurmountable 3-1 series lead.
“A quick glance at social media reveals that many people harbor doubts about it”- Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan believed that social media served as a significant indicator of the widespread skepticism about technology making pivotal decisions. He emphasized the necessity of transparency in decision-making.
In addition to Root’s dismissal, various other decisions throughout the series have also sparked controversy.
“It only takes one look at social media to see that a lot of people do not trust it. There is so much anger and suspicion about decisions that go for or against certain teams. There is suspicion about host broadcasters and who is in the truck.”
“That is despite the technology companies not actually being from the same country as the host broadcaster. For instance, Hawk-Eye is a company from the UK but being used in this series. They are just brought in by the host broadcaster,” wrote Vaughan.
If England fails to succeed in the Ranchi Test, it will mark their initial series loss since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum assumed the roles of captain and coach in 2022. Simultaneously, securing a victory in the current Test will uphold India’s flawless record of not experiencing a home Test series defeat since 2012.
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