There was a moment of controversy on the third afternoon of the one-off South Africa-England women’s Test, with Annerie Dercksen given out caught on umpire review despite no such review being allowed by the ICC playing conditions.
The hosts were already up against it in their attempted chase of 351 to win, with both openers dismissed before tea by England’s opening bowlers, Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer. The former thought she had the Proteas No.3 as well, with Tammy Beaumont claiming a bat-pad catch at short leg, only for the onfield umpires, initially, to keep their fingers down.
England were aghast, and, after conferring, the decision was sent upstairs. Replays seemed to suggest Dercksen had got bat on ball, which then ballooned off the pad to Beaumont, who pouched safely.
The controversy, however, wasn’t in the decision itself, but in the fact that there was a review in the first place. There is no player DRS in play in this game, with Cricket South Africa choosing to cut costs instead, and the playing conditions state that an umpire review for a catch can only come if it is suspected that either the catch wasn’t fair, or there was a bump ball - two things which were clearly not in doubt in this case.
Had there been player DRS in the game, one suspects there would have been no umpire review. The onfield umpire could have called it as they saw it, and then either the batting or bowling side could have reviewed it if they felt aggrieved. Instead, it feels as if they have used the replays when they shouldn’t have, because of the lack of technology available otherwise.
The lack of DRS has largely hurt the hosts in this game. Beaumont and Maia Bouchier survived close lbw shouts on day one, home captain Laura Wolvaardt copped a demerit point after her angry reaction to being given out lbw on day two, despite an inside edge, while both Anneka Bosch and Chloe Tryon looked unhappy with their dismissals on the third evening as well.
However, there is also a cost for the two umpires on the field, each standing in their first Test matches without the usual safety net available to them.
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