Players will not be able to challenge umpires' decisions during the upcoming Ashes series between England and Australia, which starts in July, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced here Tuesday. Instead cricket's controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) is set to be introduced permanently into the Test arena on the basis of a “phased roll-out” from October 2009, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told reporters. Lorgat was speaking at Lord's where the ICC's cricket committee, chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd and including leading Australian umpire Simon Taufel, had been meeting for two days to consider its response to the results of nine months' worth of trials. The system gave players the opportunity to request a review by the third umpire of a decision made by the on-field umpire they believed was wrong. Significantly, this was the first time players had been allowed to challenge a decision. Once a player asked for a referral, the third umpire was able to view replays and relay information back to the umpire on the field who then had to decide whether or not to reverse his original decision. The cricket committee, chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, said it believed the new system, for all its faults, reduced instances of bad decisions. A final decision on whether the new system will become a permanent feature of Test cricket will be taken by the ICC's chief executives committee and their main board, whose next meetings are due to take place during the global governing body's annual conference week at Lord's from June 22-26. Botha's ‘doosra' illegal South Africa bowler Johan Botha has been warned by cricket's ruling body that his ‘doosra' delivery is illegal and that he must not use it while playing international cricket. The International Cricket Council announced on Tuesday that independent tests and analysis showed that Botha's elbow extension for the doosra exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the regulations. The rule is designed to prevent bowlers from throwing rather than bowling the ball. “The analysis showed that the amount of elbow extension in Botha's ‘doosra' delivery was 26.7 degrees with no single delivery proving to be legal,” the ICC said in a statement.
