WHILE England's players plunged towards a probable defeat on the field against South Africa, the row over the controversial umpiring review system escalated significantly yesterday when the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced it was launching an investigation into the future of the system and said the matter would be discussed at its meeting in Dubai next month.
The move follows England's official complaint that the decision of TV umpire Daryl Harper to give Graeme Smith not out 15 runs into his century in the final Test at the Wanderers was a mistake. Some TV replays appeared to pick up a sound when the ball went past Smith's bat but not, it seems, on the replay Harper watched in his official capacity. It was claimed by the England camp that Harper had the sound turned down, an allegation the Australian umpire seemed to dispute as the controversy intensified yesterday.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "There is a large amount of controversy, speculation and potentially unfair criticism circulating at present, so it is important to establish the exact facts before reaching any final conclusions.
"These are early days for the decision review system, and so far we are pleased with its effectiveness and the value it can add to the game in support of umpires."
However, he added there had always been "room for further improvement" in the technology. "This investigation will be conducted in that light so the system becomes even more reliable."
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Harper appeared to defend himself on his Facebook page - though he later tried to distance himself from the comments. On Facebook he was quoted as saying: "The host broadcaster didn't provide the appropriate sound to match the picture. The commentator, Matthew Hoggard, told the viewers that there was no sound so Smith would be given not out. Five minutes later they found a sound and blamed me!"
In another entry he said: "Sadly when the technology fails they must find a scapegoat and the umpire is an easy target because we can't fight back... usually. The commentators on host broadcaster SABC commented that there was no audible sound so the decision would not be overturned. They provided me with the audio and there was nothing there. About an over later, their sound engineers 'found' a sound that the commentators and myself had not been provided with. It was far too late to take any action. If they have any integrity, they will admit that the fault was theirs. Do you think that they will?"
Bizarrely the ICC defended Harper, but on different grounds. They said he was right not to turn up the volume because it risked distorting the sound, though this was agreed procedure before the series. England asked to have the review lost over the incident reinstated but this was refused and they played much of yesterday without being able to appeal to the third umpire.
England have always had reservations over the review system - they were the only full member country to vote against its introduction - and Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said they were against it remaining in its present form. South Africa declared on 423 for seven, a lead of 243, and then removed Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Andrew Strauss before the close to leave England reeling on 48 for three.