Umpire's Call in DRS Explained: Why Some DRS Reviews Leave the Decision Unchanged
The umpire's call concept in DRS — why the ball-tracking system's predicted path through the stumps is divided into 'out,' 'umpire's call,' and 'not out' zones, how the margin of error built into Hawk-Eye produces the umpire's call band, why teams retain their DRS review when umpire's call is upheld, and the debate about whether umpire's call should be abolished.
The umpire's call concept in the Decision Review System (DRS) is one of cricket's most debated technical rules. It applies when the ball-tracking technology (Hawk-Eye or equivalent) predicts the ball would have hit the stumps — but only partially. If the ball's predicted path clips the edge of the stumps (rather than clearly hitting them), the Hawk-Eye system flags the decision as 'umpire's call' — meaning the on-field umpire's original decision (out or not out) is retained, and the reviewing team does not lose their DRS review.
How the Umpire's Call Zone Works
Ball-tracking technology for LBW reviews: after an LBW appeal, if reviewed under DRS, Hawk-Eye produces a ball-tracking prediction of where the ball would have travelled after hitting the batsman's pad. The system computes: (1) Point of pitching (was the ball outside leg stump? — if so, not out regardless); (2) Impact with the bat or pad (was there bat involved? — if bat before pad, LBW not out); (3) Impact with the pad vs stump line (was the impact outside off-stump? Batsmen hitting in line or off-side get benefit of the doubt in some rules); (4) Predicted ball path through the stumps: Hawk-Eye shows whether the ball's projected path would hit the stumps, miss the stumps, or be in the 'umpire's call' zone. The umpire's call zone: a margin built around the edge of the stump images — approximately half a ball's diameter. If the predicted ball path passes through this edge zone (clipping the bail or stump edge), the system cannot predict with sufficient confidence whether it would actually hit. The margin of technical error in ball-tracking (from measured speed, bounce angle, and friction calculations) means a ball predicted to clip the top of off-stump's bail edge could, within the measurement tolerance, either clip or just miss.
Why Teams Keep the Review on Umpire's Call
When an umpire's call verdict is returned: if the on-field umpire gave 'out' and the DRS review shows umpire's call (i.e., the ball was clipping the stump edge), the original 'out' decision is retained — the batsman is dismissed. Crucially: the batting team keeps their DRS review (they are not penalised for reviewing an inconclusive decision). If the on-field umpire gave 'not out' and the DRS shows umpire's call: the original 'not out' is retained — the batsman survives. The bowling team keeps their DRS review. The rationale: because the technology cannot be confident enough to overturn the human decision in the umpire's call zone, the original decision stands AND the reviewing team is not penalised for the inconclusive review. Reviews are only lost when the technology clearly contradicts the on-field decision (clear out or clear not out — outside the umpire's call zone).
Umpire's Call in Caught Behind and Other Reviews
Umpire's call specifically applies to LBW ball-tracking reviews. Other types of DRS review (caught behind, caught at slip, run-out) work differently: (1) Caught behind: UltraEdge (the audio spike technology that detects ball-on-bat contact) either shows a clear audio spike (edge detected) or does not. There is no 'umpire's call' equivalent for UltraEdge — the technology either confirms or denies contact. However: Hot Spot (thermal imaging of contact) can show ambiguous marks, and UltraEdge can pick up non-edge noises (pad rustle, bat on ground). When UltraEdge shows an ambiguous small spike at the relevant moment, the original decision stands but the reviewing team loses the review (unlike umpire's call in LBW); (2) Run-outs and stumpings: the third umpire reviews video frame-by-frame to determine whether the batsman's bat or body was grounded before the bail was dislodged. If the batsman's bat lands exactly on the crease line simultaneously with the bail dislodging, the on-field umpire's call is retained. This is not a systematic 'umpire's call' process like LBW's ball-tracking but produces similar tie-goes-to-the-batsman outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
What is umpire's call in DRS?
Umpire's call is a verdict in cricket's Decision Review System (DRS) that applies when ball-tracking technology (Hawk-Eye) predicts a ball would only partially hit the stumps — clipping the edge. Because Hawk-Eye's accuracy cannot confidently predict whether a ball clipping the stump's edge would actually hit, the system flags the decision as 'umpire's call,' meaning the on-field umpire's original decision (out or not out) is retained. When umpire's call is the verdict, the reviewing team does not lose their DRS review — they can continue to use it in the same innings.
Why do teams keep their DRS review on umpire's call?
Teams keep their DRS review when 'umpire's call' is returned because the technology cannot confirm the review was wrong — it only shows the decision was in a marginal zone. DRS reviews are lost when the technology clearly contradicts the on-field decision: if Hawk-Eye clearly shows the ball missing the stumps (when the umpire gave out), or clearly shows a full stump hit (when the umpire gave not out). In the umpire's call zone (ball clipping the stump edge), the on-field decision is retained and no review is lost — because the review didn't establish that the umpire made a clear error.
Should umpire's call be removed from DRS?
The debate on removing umpire's call from DRS: arguments for removal — the ball-tracking technology is accurate enough that partial stump hits should always be out; umpire's call creates apparently inconsistent outcomes where two identically predicted balls result in different decisions based on which umpire gave the original call. Arguments for keeping it — ball-tracking has a measured margin of error in speed calculation, bounce trajectory, and friction that means predicted paths have a real uncertainty range; removing umpire's call would give technology absolute authority over decisions where its own confidence level suggests caution is warranted. The ICC has reviewed umpire's call periodically and retained it in DRS regulations through 2024.