Harper backs umpire decision referral system

Dubai:

ICC's elite panel umpire Daryl Harper has supported the Umpire Decision Referral System, to be rolled-out in Tests from October, saying it had increased their percentage of correct decisions to 98 per cent during the trial series.

"It did have a few problems associated with it but generally speaking when we look at the bigger picture our percentages of correct decisions did increase during the series," said Harper, currently on duty in Sri Lanka for the series against Pakistan.

"In fact, in each series when there was a trial, and there were a number of them, the umpires' (correct) decisions went from roughly 93 to 94 per cent up to 98 per cent after using the reviews," he said in an ICC press release.

England batsman Paul Collingwood talked about his childhood dream of playing against Australia in an Ashes series.

"The Ashes has always been the complete ultimate to me. I think, growing up as a little boy, the one thing I always wanted to do was play against Australia and play in The Ashes and you know Test cricket, for us English players, is very much alive and this is what it's all about," he said.

"If you can beat Australia over five days of cricket, and beat them over a five-Test match series, the satisfaction that you gain from knowing that you've beaten the best side in the world, I think that's the ultimate," Collingwood said.

He recalls the euphoria of 2005 Ashes series victory in England.

"From a cricketing point of view we were absolutely thrilled (with) what happened last time around and I guess it was the whole reaction that took us by surprise a little bit," said the man who captained England in the recent ICC World Twenty20.

"If we can get anywhere near what happened last time around in terms of catching the public's imagination and things like that, we'll know we've had a good series."