Soft Signal in Cricket
What the 'soft signal' is in cricket DRS, how it affects catch reviews, when it was controversial, and how the ICC responded to concerns about it.
What Is the Soft Signal?
The soft signal is the preliminary on-field decision an umpire communicates to the third umpire when referring a catch decision for review. It represents the umpire's view from the field before replay footage is examined. The third umpire can only overturn the soft signal if there is conclusive evidence to do so.
How It Works
When a fielder takes a low catch and appeal is made, the on-field umpire signals Out or Not Out as a soft signal before turning to the large screen. The third umpire reviews the footage. If the evidence is inconclusive — common for low catches — the soft signal stands. Only clear evidence the opposite way overturns it.
Why It Was Controversial
Critics argued the soft signal created a 'two-tier' system where a batsman dismissed by a soft-signal Out faced a near-impossible task of being reprieved, since inconclusive footage defaulted to Out. Conversely a soft-signal Not Out gave the batter the benefit even with ambiguous footage.
ICC Response and Rule Change
Following extensive criticism, the ICC revised the DRS protocols. From 2023 onwards, the soft signal was effectively removed for catch decisions — the third umpire now reviews the footage independently without a binding soft signal from the on-field umpire, giving the review full neutrality. The on-field umpire still makes the call initially, but it is treated more like an Umpire's Call under the new framework.
Soft Signal Controversy
A slip fielder takes a low catch and the umpire signals soft-signal Out. The fielding side reviews. The third umpire examines five angles — all inconclusive. Soft signal stands: Out. The batter is dismissed off an inconclusive catch review. This scenario drove the 2023 ICC review of the protocol.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if the third umpire cannot determine whether a catch was clean?
Under the old system, the soft signal stood — so the batter was either out or not based on the umpire's preliminary view. Under the revised 2023+ framework, inconclusive footage for catches defaults toward Not Out.
Has the soft signal been removed from cricket?
For catch decisions, the soft signal's binding nature was removed by ICC in 2023. The on-field umpire still gives an initial call, but the third umpire now reviews independently without requiring conclusive evidence to overturn it.