Cricket rivals Pakistan and Sri Lanka united Tuesday to demand mandatory video technology after "several umpiring howlers in their first Test, placing themselves in opposition to India's powerful board," according to the AFP. The Decision Review System uses thermal imaging to verify umpires' decisions. It was "recommended for mandatory use" by cricket chiefs Monday. The decision is "subject to member nations financing the technology." But Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said that he wanted the Int'l Cricket Council to "pay for the technology" if individual boards cannot afford to fund it when they host touring teams. Jayawardene said, "The ICC must take it upon themselves to fund the system for the boards which cannot afford to, instead of leaving it to them to decide whether they use it or not" (AFP, 6/26). Meanwhile, TNN reported that the Board Of Control For Cricket In India "continues to remain the biggest critic of the DRS." A BCCI release said, "The BCCI continues to believe that the system is not foolproof. It also sticks to its view that the decision on whether or not to use the DRS for a series should be left to the boards involved" (TNN, 6/26).
