DRS in Cricket: Complete Umpire Review Guide

The Decision Review System, known as DRS, has changed how cricket is officiated. Before its arrival, an on-field umpire’s decision was final, even when television replays clearly showed a mistake. Today, players can challenge decisions they believe are wrong, and a third umpire uses ball-tracking cameras, edge-detection audio and thermal imaging to check what really happened.

DRS was first trialled in a Test series between Sri Lanka and India in 2008. It was then used at the 2011 ODI World Cup, and over the following years it became a standard part of international cricket. India, famously sceptical about the accuracy of ball-tracking technology, resisted DRS for several years before adopting it fully in 2016. Understanding how DRS works helps every fan follow the drama when a captain makes the famous “T” sign with their hands.

DRS Technologies at a Glance

Each tool answers a different question. Ball tracking settles LBW shouts, UltraEdge and Hot Spot settle caught-behind appeals, and the stump cameras settle line decisions. The third umpire combines them in a fixed order.

What Is DRS in Cricket?

DRS is a technology-assisted review system that allows players to challenge on-field umpiring decisions. When a team believes the umpire got a call wrong, the captain or the dismissed batter can ask for the decision to be reviewed by the third umpire, who has access to television replays and specialist technology.

The system covers dismissals such as LBW, caught behind, and bat-pad catches. It does not cover every decision: for example, a team cannot review a wide ball call or most judgments about the state of play. The third umpire follows a strict protocol, checking for a no-ball first, then whether the bat was involved, and finally the ball-tracking prediction.

DRS exists to remove the clear mistake, often called the “howler”. Even the best umpires get around nine out of ten close decisions right; DRS pushes that figure much higher and gives players a safety net against the one that goes badly wrong.

How the DRS Review Process Works

The process moves quickly and follows the same steps in every match. First, the fielding captain or the batter must signal for a review by making a “T” shape with their hands. They have only 15 seconds from the moment the decision is given, and the request must come from the players on the field, never from the dressing room.

Once the signal is made, the on-field umpire asks the third umpire to check the decision. The third umpire begins with the front-foot no-ball check using slow-motion replays. If the bowler overstepped, the batter is automatically not out and the review ends there.

If the delivery was legal, the third umpire moves to the dismissal in question. For a caught-behind appeal, UltraEdge and Hot Spot are examined for evidence of the ball touching the bat. For an LBW appeal, the umpire checks for an inside edge first, then turns to ball tracking to answer three questions: where the ball pitched, where it hit the pad, and whether it would have hit the stumps.

The third umpire then tells the on-field umpire to either stay with the original decision or overturn it. The big screen usually shows the ball-tracking graphic building ball by ball, which is why DRS reviews have become moments of high television drama.

How Many Reviews Does Each Team Get?

Reviews are limited, which forces captains to use them wisely. A team that reviews everything would slow the game to a crawl, so the playing conditions set a strict allowance per innings.

The crucial detail is that a team keeps its review when the decision is overturned. Since 2016, a team also keeps its review when ball tracking returns “umpire’s call”. A review is lost only when the technology clearly upholds the on-field decision, for example when ball tracking shows the ball missing the stumps by a wide margin.

Because reviews are precious, wicketkeepers have become central to the system. The keeper stands closest to the action and usually advises the captain whether a faint edge carried through, which is why keepers are seen urging or waving off reviews.

The Umpire’s Call Rule Explained

Umpire’s call is the most debated part of DRS. Ball tracking is a prediction, not a recording, and the ICC accepts that it carries a small margin of error. When the predicted path shows the ball only clipping the stumps, with less than half the ball hitting, the benefit of the doubt goes to the on-field umpire.

In practice, this means two identical-looking reviews can produce different outcomes. If the on-field umpire gave the batter out and ball tracking shows umpire’s call, the batter stays out. If the umpire gave it not out and the same graphic appears, the batter stays not out. The original decision survives whenever the technology cannot be conclusive.

Critics argue this makes DRS inconsistent, while supporters say it respects the umpire’s judgment in marginal cases. What matters for players is the tactical point: challenging a 50-50 LBW is relatively safe, because umpire’s call no longer costs the team its review.

Famous DRS Controversies in Cricket

DRS has produced as many arguments as it has settled. During the 2011 World Cup, England’s Ian Bell survived a huge LBW shout against India because the point of impact was judged more than 2.5 metres from the stumps, beyond which ball tracking was then considered unreliable. The decision exposed the limits of the early system and led to refinements in how the technology is applied.

The 2013 Ashes series brought another storm when Jonathan Trott was given out LBW. Hot Spot showed no mark on the bat, yet the third umpire upheld the dismissal, and later analysis suggested the technology had been misread. The incident damaged confidence in the system during that series.

Perhaps the most infamous DRS moment came in the 2017 Bengaluru Test between India and Australia. Australia’s Steve Smith, given out LBW, glanced towards the dressing room for guidance on whether to review, which is strictly forbidden. The “brain fade” episode, as Smith called it, led to a heated exchange between the teams and a reminder that the review must be the players’ decision alone.

DRS Statistics: Has It Worked?

By the ICC’s own figures, DRS has been a clear success. Before the system, the proportion of correct decisions in international matches sat at roughly 90 percent. With DRS in use, that figure has climbed to around 98 percent, meaning the clear mistake has become genuinely rare.

The numbers also reveal how teams use the system. Batters historically overturned a higher share of LBW decisions than bowlers did, because umpires were slightly more likely to give marginal LBWs than to miss them. As players have grown smarter about when to review, the success rate of challenges has improved, and frivolous reviews have declined.

Technology keeps improving too. UltraEdge replaced the older Snickometer with sharper audio-visual syncing, and ball-tracking cameras now operate at higher frame rates than the original installations. Each upgrade has shrunk the grey areas, though umpire’s call remains deliberately in place.

The Future of Review Technology

Cricket’s lawmakers continue to refine the system. Fully automated no-ball detection, using cameras to call overstepping in real time, has already been trialled and reduces one of the third umpire’s routine jobs. Smarter replay tools now let the television umpire split screens and zoom with far greater precision than a decade ago.

Some have suggested removing umpire’s call entirely and letting ball tracking decide every LBW outright. The ICC has so far kept the rule, arguing that the technology’s margin of error should still protect the on-field official. Others have proposed extending reviews to wides and waist-high no-balls in limited-overs cricket, where one wrong call can decide a tight finish.

What seems certain is that DRS will keep expanding rather than shrinking. Younger players have grown up with it, crowds understand the graphics, and broadcasters have built part of their storytelling around the review. The “T” sign is now as much a part of cricket as the appeal itself.

FAQs

How many DRS reviews does each team get?

In Tests each team gets three unsuccessful reviews per innings, while in ODIs and T20Is each team gets two per innings. A review is kept when the decision is overturned or when ball tracking returns umpire’s call.

What is umpire’s call in DRS?

Umpire’s call applies when ball tracking shows the ball only clipping the stumps, with less than half the ball hitting. Because the prediction has a margin of error, the on-field umpire’s original decision stands.

Who can ask for a DRS review?

Only the players on the field can request a review: the fielding captain for appeals, or the batter who has been given out. They must make the “T” signal within 15 seconds, and no advice may come from the dressing room.

What happens if the DRS technology fails?

If the required technology is unavailable for a particular decision, the third umpire cannot overturn the on-field call on that evidence. The original decision stands, and the team keeps its review.

Is DRS used in every international match?

DRS is standard in Tests, ODIs and T20Is between full member nations, though its use depends on the host broadcaster providing the required technology. Most major series and ICC events use the full system.