England’s captain Ben Stokes expressed that technology wrongly affected the decision to declare Zak Crawley out in the second innings of the Vizag Test on February 5.
During the press conference after the game, Stokes was asked about the incident and stated clearly that a mistake had been made in the decision.
My personal opinion is that the technology has gone wrong on this occasion. That’s where I stand on it. Technology in the game is obviously there, and everyone understands the reasons it can never be 100 percent accurate. That’s why we have the ‘umpire’s call’; that’s why it’s in place.
Stokes mentioned that it’s okay to question technology when it’s not perfect. He believes that, in a game full of uncertainties, it’s not right to blame the outcome on technology alone.
The English skipper also highlighted that once a decision is made, it cannot be changed.
It should be noted that Crawley’s dismissal in the Vizag Test against India caused a lot of controversy. He was playing well, with 73 runs from 132 balls, as England tried to chase a target of 399 runs.
His innings ended when he was given out LBW (leg before wicket) on Kuldeep Yadav’s ball. Although the umpire first said it was not out, the decision was changed after India asked for a review, which showed the ball hitting the stumps.
Moreover, this decision shocked fans and commentators because they thought the ball hit him outside the leg stump.
The review proved to be a good one for the home side and helped them get more wickets. After Crawley got out, England found it hard to score runs as they bowled out on 292 runs and suffered a 106-run defeat.
Meanwhile, India and England will now face off against each other in the third Test of the five-match series in Rajkot on February 15, and the series is currently leveled at 1-1.