Following England’s 106-run loss to India in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, England captain Ben Stokes criticized the Decision Review System (DRS) review that led to Zak Crawley’s LBW dismissal, calling it “unfair.”
Chasing a daunting target of 399 runs, England fought valiantly on Day 4, with Zak Crawley playing a pivotal role with his well-crafted 73 off 132 balls. However, his innings was cut short by a controversial LBW decision, which Stokes believes was incorrect.
In the 42nd over of the innings, Kuldeep Yadav’s delivery struck Crawley’s pad, prompting a loud appeal from the Indian team. Although the on-field umpire initially ruled not out, India opted for a review, and the ball tracking technology showed that the ball would have hit the leg stump. This decision led to Crawley being given out LBW, despite initial doubts about whether the ball would have just clipped the outside of the stump, which would have resulted in Crawley surviving via umpire’s call.
Stokes expressed his dissatisfaction with the technology’s assessment, acknowledging that while the system is not infallible, he believed it had erred in this instance.
“Technology in the game is obviously there. Everyone has an understanding of the reasons it can never be 100% which is why we have the umpire’s call. That’s why it’s in place. When it’s not 100% as everyone says, I don’t think it’s unfair for someone to say ‘I think the technology has got it wrong on this occasion’,” Stokes stated.
Despite his criticism of the decision, Stokes refrained from blaming the loss solely on this incident, acknowledging the uncertainties and complexities of cricket. He emphasized that while he believed the technology had made an error, it was not the sole reason for England’s defeat.
The loss in Visakhapatnam leveled the series at 1-1. England will now regroup in Abu Dhabi before returning to India for the third Test in Rajkot, starting on February 15.
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