The Decision Review System (DRS) is not in use for the only Test match on England Women’s tour of South Africa, despite having been used for the six white-ball games that preceded it. Here’s why.
DRS has become standard across almost all top-level international cricket, making it an oddity for a game to be staged between two Full Members without the ability to challenge the umpire’s decisions. Every other international game staged in South Africa this summer will feature DRS, except the one-off women’s Test at Bloemfontein.
According to Cricket South Africa, this is a long-planned move and is essentially a cost-cutting decision. “The inclusion of the DRS for the ongoing inbound tour against England was agreed upon at the planning stage of the tour, noting that it will be the first time it was used for women's bilateral tours in South Africa in recent history,” Enoch Nkwe, South Africa's director of national teams and high performance, told ESPNcricinfo.
“The white-ball formats were prioritised with regards to DRS for this tour as it directly impacted the Proteas Women's rankings in T20I cricket and the Women's Championship as well as the overall CSA strategy for the senior women's national team. While the development of the red-ball format is important, it is worth noting that resources are currently being directed at the white-ball formats due to the significance of ODI and T20I cricket in the current women's international cricket landscape.”
CSA have a recent form for taking unpopular decisions for financial reasons, sending a third-string team out for a men’s Test tour of New Zealand in order to prioritise their domestic SA20 competition, seen as crucial to the long-term viability of cricket in the country.
They have also come under pressure to prioritise women’s cricket, with Graeme Smith, SA20 league commissioner, defending the decision not to fast-track a women’s version of the competition. “It certainly is an ambition for us,” he said. “But I think the thing that’s important to talk about is that South African cricket, from a woman’s talent depth perspective, is just beginning, really. Cricket South Africa have invested in their first professional contracts at domestic cricket, not at the international level.”
National captain Laura Wolvaardt had previously said a women’s SA20 “would seriously help our game”.
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While DRS has been in use previously on this tour, it hasn’t always functioned as desired. In the first ODI, South Africa lost two wickets to lbw decisions while ball-tracking was down.
The lack of DRS had an impact early in the Test, with England opener Tammy Beaumont surviving a close lbw shout on the second ball of the game.
“I am glad this has happened because it shows how much you need DRS,” said former England spinner Alex Hartley on BBC Test Match Special. “Heather Knight said she was disappointed that it wasn't in this game, but she'll be laughing in the dressing room now.”
DRS is not mandated to be in place in the ICC Test match playing conditions.
According to ESPNcricinfo, corners have also been cut on the other cameras used for the game, with only two run-out cameras in place, meaning that if a fielder is in the way, arriving at a run out decision could be difficult for the TV umpire.
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