Ben Stokes Urges for 'Umpire's Call' Removal from DRS After Controversial Dismissal

In a recent turn of events, Ben Stokes has voiced his concerns over the Decision Review System (DRS) following England's defeat against India in Rajkot. The incident that sparked this debate was Zak Crawley's dismissal, which Stokes found perplexing. Despite a review during the third Test's fourth day, the decision favored the umpire's initial call, leaving England in a precarious position at 18 for two while chasing a daunting target of 557.

Stokes, alongside England's coach Brendon McCullum, raised the issue with match referee Jeff Crowe after suffering a 434-run loss. They were informed that although the decision stood correct, there was an error in the ball-tracking projection. This projection had shown that Jasprit Bumrah's delivery, which led to Crawley's lbw dismissal, would miss the leg stump rather than clip it.

The England all-rounder stressed that such discrepancies do not contribute to a level playing field and highlighted the challenges umpires face, especially in spinning conditions like India. "My personal opinion is if the ball is hitting the stumps, it is hitting the stumps. They should take away umpire's call," Stokes remarked during an interview with talkSPORT.

This is not the first instance of controversy surrounding Crawley's dismissal via DRS. A similar situation occurred two weeks prior in Visakhapatnam, where DRS overturned an on-field not out decision. Seeking clarity, Stokes expressed his confusion over the replay showing the ball missing the stump yet still being adjudged as umpire's call.

While Stokes made it clear that he does not attribute England's series deficit to these incidents, his call for a more definitive implementation of DRS reflects a broader concern for fairness and accuracy in cricket's adjudication system.