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TV umpiring slip-ups come under the scanner at Women’s World Cup
Umpiring standards have come under scrutiny at the Women’s World Cup 2025 , which has witnessed numerous contentious calls in its first two-and-a-half weeks. The most conspicuous of these mistakes have appeared around the use of the decision review system (DRS), which is only sporadically used in the women’s game. As such, the umpires’ experience with DRS protocols has come under the spotlight.
One of the most notable mis-steps occurred in the match between England and Bangladesh, when Heather Knight got three reprieves, one of which was a low catch by Shorna Akter. On 13 at the time, with England chasing 179, Knight chipped legspinner Fahima Khatum to Shorna at cover.
Knight was happy to walk off, but TV umpire Gayathri Venugopalan ruled otherwise based on “inconclusive” evidence. Earlier, there was also a caught-behind decision that was given out on the field, but overturned by the third umpire, who felt the ball hit Knight’s pad through to the wicketkeeper.
“I did the presentation that evening and I put it to Heather Knight, and she did not sit on the fence at all, “Nasser Hussain, who is working as a broadcaster at the tournament, said on *JioStar pressroom. “She said, ‘well, I thought it was out, I was walking off’. There were other lbw reviews as well and Heather said, ‘I’ve never been out so many times in a cricket match.’ She then got 60 or 70 not out [79 not out] to win the game, and that really hurts you.”
Another incident was Muneeba Ali’s run out during the match between India and Pakistan in Colombo. Muneeba, the Pakistan opener, was originally given not-out on the big screen by the TV umpire, before that decision was changed to “out”.
On that occasion, TV umpire Kerrin Klaaste had not viewed all the available footage before first ruling it not-out lbw, and changed that decision after viewing further footage that showed there had been a run-out decision to make as well. The correct decision was eventually arrived at, but the process caused significant confusion, leading Muneeba and captain Fatima Sana to seek further clarification from the fourth umpire on the edge of the boundary.
Then, during their game against South Africa, India reviewed a not-out lbw call against Sune Luus. The third umpire, Candace la Borde, adjudicated that a murmur on Ultra Edge was enough to indicate an under-edge onto the pad even though a side-on replay showed reasonable distance between the ball and bat at the time of the murmur. Luus remained not out.
During the India-Australia game, the catch taken by Sneh Rana at point to dismiss Alyssa Healy was checked by third umpire Jacqueline Williams, who said, “I can see the ball touching the ground,” before she changed her line and ruled the catch clean.
“If you look at these replays enough, if you keep zooming in – I can’t remember where I was, I might have been watching on the telly actually – there was another one of those the fingers and the hands get under the ball,” Hussain said about the Healy dismissal. “The third umpire didn’t ask for 15 different replays or whatever. She just looked at it, sort of, a couple of times, gut feel, fingers were under the ball, that’s out. Which I always worry about when I am watching at home or in broadcast. If you keep looking, you will find things; you have to be meticulous.”
Of the ten umpires who have performed TV duties through the course of this World Cup, only three have officiated as TV umpire in more than 20 matches with DRS available: Sue Redfern (42), Eloise Sheridan (25), and Kim Cotton (24).
There are three umpires who had never previously been a TV umpire in an ODI that used DRS – la Borde, N Janani and Sarah Dambanenava. La Borde, in fact, had never been a third umpire in any international using DRS, while Janani and Dambanenava have had DRS experience in a limited number of T20Is. More significantly, five of the ten TV umpires had performed the role in fewer than five internationals with DRS available. In addition to the three mentioned, Venugopalan and Klaaste are also inexperienced with DRS.
There has also been a greater percentage of on-field decisions overturned via the use of reviews than is often seen at major global competitions. In this World Cup, there have been 25 successful overturns of on-field decisions in 36 innings – a rate of 0.67 successful overturns per innings. In the last World Cup to be played in Asia – the men’s ODI World Cup in 2023 – the rate of successful overturns per innings was 0.46.
The ICC declined to comment on the umpires’ relative inexperience with DRS, and did not reveal whether teams themselves had raised queries on umpiring missteps. The ICC’s umpire manager, Sean Easey, has been at some venues during this World Cup.
(Cricinfo)
The National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC), which is being established under the Presidential Secretariat with the aim of removing administrative and regulatory barriers that exist among government institutions in relation to investment and industry and expediting these processes, will be opened tomorrow (22).
The centre is being established on the President’s initiative with the aim of bringing about a positive transformation in the industrial sector. The centre will provide solutions to issues that arise in dealing with the government machinery when starting and operating a business, while also coordinating with the relevant government institutions to provide the necessary facilities.
The “ViYASA” National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC) has been established at Building C-80, Hector Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Colombo 07, and is headed by Senior Additional( Secretary to the President, Seevali Arukgoda.
The centre will be opened under the patronage of Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando and Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, with the participation of Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The website https://nbfc.presidentsoffice.gov.lk is also scheduled to be officially launched on the occasion.
President’s Media Division)
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Court of Appeal Judge M. Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea appointed as Acting President of the Court of Appeal
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Court of Appeal Judge Mayadunna Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea as the Acting President of the Court of Appeal.
The appointment has been made as President’s Counsel Nalin Rohantha Abeysuriya, who currently serves as President of the Court of Appeal, will be overseas until the 24th.
Accordingly Judge Mayadunna Corea was sworn in as Acting President of the Court of Appeal before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential secretariat this morning (21).
Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake was also present at the occasion.
(President’s Media Division)
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President instructs expediting further measures concerning Sivarasa Anojan, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
A discussion to review the further measures that could be taken regarding Sivarasa Anojan, a young Sri Lankan national who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, was held at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (21), under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The discussion focused on the measures taken to date concerning Sivaraasa Anojan and the further diplomatic and legal steps that could be pursued. Attention was also given to expediting the necessary further measures that could be taken to secure his release.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to continue the necessary diplomatic engagement with the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia and to maintain close and continuous involvement in all further measures concerning the case.
Reaffirming the Government’s continued attention to the safety and welfare of Sri Lankans living and working overseas, the President also stressed the need for the relevant ministries and institutions to work in close coordination and pursue all possible measures that could be taken in connection with the case.
Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer, Governor of the Western Province Hanif Yusoof, Secretary – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Aruni Ranaraja, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism were also present at the discussion.
(President’s Media Division)
“ViYASA” National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC) to be opened tomorrow (22)
Court of Appeal Judge M. Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea appointed as Acting President of the Court of Appeal
President instructs expediting further measures concerning Sivarasa Anojan, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
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