Stokes demands DRS to remove umpire’s call

New Delhi. England captain Ben Stokes appealed for DRS to scrap ‘umpire calls’ after Jack Crawley was dismissed in the 432-run defeat against India in the third Test in Rajkot.

Ben Stokes found Jack Crawley’s LBW dismissal a surprise, as DRS showed that the ball was not hitting the stumps. Nevertheless the on-field decision remained intact and the DRS sent the decision to ‘Umpire Call’. Stokes head coach Brendon McCullum was seen talking to the match referee after the match, seeking clarification on Zak Crawley’s dismissal.

ESPN quoted Stokes as saying, “When the replay came, we wanted some clarity about Jack’s DRS. In the replay, the ball was clearly missing the stumps. So when it was given the umpire’s call and the ball was actually We were a bit surprised when it didn’t hit the stumps. So we wanted some clarity from the Hawk-Eye people. To this they replied that the ball was hitting the stumps but the projection was wrong,” Stokes said. “I don’t know what it means, but something went wrong.”

“I’m not blaming anyone for what’s happened here, as I didn’t last week either. It’s just trying to understand… what’s going on.” Stokes calls umpires over DRS Demand for removal However, Stokes refused to blame such calls for England’s defeat, but demanded the abolition of the ‘umpire call’ rule for DRS.