England Skipper Stokes Calls for DRS Rule Change After Frustrating India Test
England captain Ben Stokes has called for changes to the Decision Review System (DRS) after a string of contentious calls left his team frustrated during their heavy defeat in the third Test against India.
Stokes was particularly critical of the “umpire’s call” element of the DRS, which upholds the on-field decision if ball-tracking technology is inconclusive. He pointed to the dismissal of Zak Crawley, who was adjudged lbw despite replays suggesting the ball missed his stumps.
“The numbers said it was hitting the stump, but the image said it was wrong,” Stokes told talkSPORT. “I think you just want some kind of level playing field. My personal opinion is that if the ball’s hitting the stumps, it’s hitting the stumps. I think that should take away the umpire’s call.”
“I think the umpires have an incredibly hard job as it is,” Stokes acknowledged, “but my personal opinion is that if the ball’s hitting the stumps, the ball’s hitting the stumps. I think that should take away the umpire’s call.”
Despite the controversial decisions, Stokes refused to blame them entirely for England’s defeat. He emphasized the need for his team to accept bad days and remain committed to their aggressive “Bazball” style of play, believing it will bring success when individual players have standout performances.
Despite his criticism of the DRS, Stokes emphasized that he didn’t want to solely blame the system for England’s 434-run defeat. He acknowledged the difficulty of umpiring in Indian conditions and praised their hard work.
“It’s just about us accepting that we’re going to have bad days,” Stokes said. “We’ve got a style of cricket that we know suits us, and it doesn’t always pay off. But if we keep pushing the game forward, when a couple of guys have their day out, we’re a very hard team to play against.”
England’s defeat leaves them 2-1 down in the five-match series. They will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid another heavy loss in the next Test.
