Age of the video umpire moves a step nearer

A new era of scrutiny by television was waved in yesterday as the International Cricket Council announced that all international umpiring decisions, including the hallowed calling of lbw, are to be assisted by camera technology.

At the moment, only debatable calls such as run-outs, stumpings, catches that may not have carried to a fielder and shots which may not have crossed the boundary can be referred to the third umpire. In a trial at the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in September, however, the on-field umpires will have the option of using television replays to check any decisions throughout the game.

When a third umpire is contacted, he will be allowed only two replays before passing information to the on-field officials. The third umpire will not be able to intervene unless he is called upon by the on-field umpires.

The new ICC panel of élite umpires and match referees will discuss the recommendation during a four-day workshop in South Africa which begins on Thursday. If the experiment at the Champions Trophy – which will feature all 10 Test-playing nations, plus Kenya and the Netherlands – proves successful, a special meeting of ICC cricket-playing committee will be held to decide whether the extended technology should be used in the 2003 World Cup. "Technology is an emotive issue, with persuasive voices on both sides of the debate," said Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC. "By agreeing to a limited but high-profile trial, we will be better placed to judge if greater use of technology is the way to go in the long term."

The move was also endorsed by the former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, who is on the ICC sub-committee that wants to bring in the new technology. "International umpires already make a very high degree of correct decisions, for which they receive too little credit," he said. "The ICC wants to support umpires and if this experiment proves that technology can make that contribution it will be considered for further use in the international game."

Yesterday's announcement was welcomed by the England Cricket Board. "Anything that increases viewer enjoyment, understanding of the game and accuracy is good for cricket," said John Carr, the ECB's director of cricket operations.

Criticism of the experiment came from the veteran umpire, Dickie Bird. "The man in the middle who made all the decisions is finished," the 68-year-old said. "At the moment, the third umpire makes six or seven decisions, so the umpire in the middle has only three to make – the caught behind, bat-pad and lbw. The man on the camera is more important now than the man in the middle, so that is taking all the authority and everything away from the umpire."

The middle ground in the debate was occupied by the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers. "We've no problem with technology but we do question the manner in which it is used," Barry Stuart-King, the chairman of the ACUS, said. He has concerns about the use of technology in lbw decisions, where the swing of the ball, and even its mass and shape vary depending on how long it has been in play.

"A mathematical calculation cannot say with certainty where it would have gone," he said. "I wouldn't rely on technology for lbw in a match, when, for a qualified on-field umpire, lbw is not the most difficult decision."

Stuart-King also said that the ICC needs to be looking at more fundamental issues of umpiring, such as introducing an internationally uniform grading system for umpires. Without this, he said, advances in technology – which still require interpretation by trained and experienced professionals – will remain "sticking plaster measures."