Humbled by the opportunity to lead my country: Shikhar Dhawan

Explained | What is Soft Signal and why does it divide opinion?

The debate around the soft signal from the on-field umpires has been reignited once again. The debate comes to fore after one of the umpires in the second Test between England and New Zealand, Richard Kettleborough signalled not out to an attempted catch by Zak Crawley off the edge of Devon Conway’s bat. As soon as the umpire signalled it a bumped ball, England vice-captain and the bowler affecting the particular dismissal, Stuart Broad, questioned the decision. The decision was then retained as the third umpire could not find ‘conclusive evidence’ needed to overturn the ‘soft signal' made by the on-field umpires. For a long time now, the logic behind the International Cricket Council’s decision to bring in soft signal provision has been questioned and it is not dying anytime soon. A school of thought suggests that the rule must be amended to allow the third umpire to have full authority to make decisions on the evidence he gathers from slow-motion replays and different angles produced by broadcasting cameras. The question is what exactly is the soft-signal and how does it affect the decision-making process overall? What is a soft signal? The ICC explains the soft signal by putting the onus on the umpires standing in the match. The rule states that, in case the on-field umpires need assistance from their colleague upstairs, they would have to come to a decision themselves (out or not out) and then refer it upstairs for further checking. The thought behind this is that the on-field umpires are best placed to see the action and then make an educated decision when it comes to the 50-50 decisions on the field. The downside of this ruling is that this brings an inherent umpire’s bias into play and unless the third umpire has conclusive evidence to suggest otherwise, the on-field decision is deemed final. ICC's stance “Should both on-field umpires require assistance from the third umpire to make a decision, the bowler’s end umpire shall firstly take a decision on-field after consulting with the striker’s end umpire, before consulting by two-way radio with the third umpire. Such consultation shall be initiated by the bowler’s end umpire to the third umpire by making the shape of a TV screen with his/her hands, followed by a Soft Signal of Out or Not out made with the hands close to the chest at chest height. If the third umpire advises that the replay evidence is inconclusive, the on-field decision communicated at the start of the consultation process shall stand,” says the ICC explaining the protocol that governs the soft signal rule. Problems of soft signal The rule has come under severe scrutiny in the wake of many close calls in the outfield and sometimes also in the slips, like in the ongoing Test between England and New Zealand. The school of thought that is not so sure of the soft signal process and its authenticity demands amendments in the rule. They argue that the on-field umpires cannot see the minute details of close catches in real-time and hence the third umpire, who is equipped with all the modern-day technology should be empowered to make a decision based on evidence and process. MCC's stance The Marylebone Cricket Club, too, had taken cognisance of the controversy surrounding the soft signal and had opined that for catches beyond the limit of the 30-yard circle, on-field umpires should be given an extra option of calling ‘unsighted’ instead of making an ‘explicit’ signal of out or not out. “The committee felt that the soft-signal system worked well for catches within the 30-yard fielding circle, but that catches near the boundary often left the umpires unsighted. It was proposed that, for such catches, the on-field umpires could give an ‘unsighted’ instruction to the TV umpire, rather than the more explicit soft-signal of Out or Not out,” The MCC had said in its statement earlier this year. As per media reports, the ICC was mulling revoking the soft signal provision for the World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand but fair to say, the rule, like many other rules of the game, has only left common people fazed and searching for logic.

WATCH: Riled up Shakib Al Hasan rips out stumps, abuses umpire; apologises later

Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has apologised publicly on his social media handle after making headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier in the day. A couple of visuals from the Dhaka Premier League went viral over social media where Shakib was seen abusing the umpire over an unfavourable decision. Not a one-off incident, Shakib was seen losing his cool twice during a Dhaka Premier League match. In the first instance, the left-handed batsman was seen having a heated argument with the umpire after the latter turned down an LBW appeal from the bowler and was then caught on the cameras while disrupting the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Later in his apology note, Shakib said that an experienced player like him should have known better in that situation and that he sorry for ruining the match for everyone. The incident took place in the DPL match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Limited in Dhaka. Batting first, Shakib-led side Mohammedan Sporting Club scored 145/6 in 20 overs. The left-handed batsman top-scored with 37 off 27 while Mahmudul Hasan remained unbeaten at 30 off 22. Aks Swadhin picked up a three-wicket haul for his Abhani Limited side while Tanzim Hasan Sakib returned with a couple of scalps to his name. The Bangladesh player earlier pulled out of the ongoing Pakistan Super League to play the DPL and will in most likelihood not be a part of the remainder of the Indian Premier League. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has strictly said that they won't be granting No Objection Certificates to their players with the T20 World Cup on the line. Shakib has had a tumultuous time over the past couple of years, first getting banned for not revealing a corrupt approach to the integrity officers and then later in his public rift with the BCB.

New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel loses sleep over comeback after long time

Making a comeback into the Test team after a long time away from the game due to injury, New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel felt like making a fresh start to his Test career, and could not sleep throughout the night leading up to the first day of the second Test against England. “There were definitely nerves. I couldn’t get to sleep last night, I couldn’t figure out why… I got into bed quite early but the eyes just weren’t helping me. There was excitement as well, a long time between drinks,” Patel said in the post-match press conference. Patel last played for the Blackcaps in the home series against India and missed the entire New Zealand summer in the late last year and early this year due to injury. However, the spinner said he remained ‘positive’ and focussed more on improving other aspects of his game while spending time away from the game. “It’s been challenging. The injuries didn’t really help my cause, and our conditions not really favouring spinners much. At the same time, I always try to take the positive out of a negative. I used that time to work on a few things in my game; my fitness and my batting,” Patel added. The pitch at Edgbaston offered Patel some real purchase for a first-day pitch and he said that spinners should be itching to ‘thrive’ on opportunities on such pitches to bring change in fortune for their sides. He expressed his readiness to change the game for the Blackcaps by taking extra responsibility if the team can set things up nicely in the first innings. “As a spinner, you thrive on opportunities like that, test cricket on a surface where it’s giving you some assistance to pull something together for the team. That’s something I enjoy the challenge of and extra responsibility. I’m looking forward to that, and hopefully we can set the game up and I can bring myself into my own,” Patel asserted. Ajaz Patel was picked in the playing XI in place of Mitchell Santner, who cut his finger in the last Test against England. He was always on the money against English batsmen and picked up two wickets of Ollie Pope and Olly Stone while giving away a mere 34 runs in his 14 overs.

Having good bench strength gives a lot of confidence to team management: Rahul Dravid

Former India captain and National Cricket Academy Director Rahul Dravid has said that during his stint as coach with India ‘A’ teams, he made sure that all the players who travelled with him were given a chance to showcase their talents. “I tell them upfront, if you come on an A tour with me, you will not leave here without playing a game. I’ve had that personal experience myself as a kid: going on an A tour and not getting an opportunity to play is terrible,” Dravid told ESPNcricinfo. The former cricketer further said that it was harsh on players to not get international exposure after scoring runs or picking wickets at the domestic level. “You’ve done well, you scored 700-800 runs, you go, and you don’t get a chance to show what you’re good at. And then you’re back to square one from the selectors’ point of view, because the next season you have to score those 800 runs again,” he said. The former skipper lauded the bench strength that has been created in the Indian team. "There's a good bench strength being developed and I think it gives people a lot of confidence that there are players, if the situation arises, who are in good touch and playing well," Dravid said. One of Dravid’s successful stints as a coach came in 2018 when India lifted the U19 World Cup under the captaincy of Prithvi Shaw. He doesn’t travel with the U19 and ‘A’ teams anymore but will be the head coach for the Indian side that will tour Sri Lanka in July.