Ben Stokes complains about DRS post 434-run mauling by India in 3rd Test

England Test skipper Ben Stokes isn’t happy with the umpire’s calls in 50-50 cases regarding LBW dismissals. The latest case was Zak Crawley’s dismissal ahead of the Tea break on Day Four of the third Test in Rajkot. In real time, it looked like the ball was going over the stumps. In the end, the Three Lions ended up losing the game by 434 runs against India and are trailing by 1-2.

After the game, the two-time World Cup winner mentioned the same and said that he and his team wanted more clarity on the replays.

“We just wanted some clarity around Zak’s DRS when the images came back,” Ben Stokes told talkSPORT.

“The ball is quite clearly missing the stump on the replay. So when it gets given umpire’s call and the ball’s not actually hitting the stumps, we were a bit bemused.

“We just wanted some clarity from Hawk-Eye. It came back saying the numbers were saying that it was hitting the stumps but it was the projection that was wrong. I don’t know what that means. Something’s gone wrong.

When people in charge say something has gone wrong, that is enough: Ben Stokes

The New Zealand-born added that he had been at the wrong end of the umpire’s call and urged that the rule makers must get rid of the umpire’s call.

“I think when [the] people in charge of it say something has gone wrong that is enough in itself.

“We’ve been on the wrong end of three umpire’s calls this game and that is part of DRS. You’re either on the right side or the wrong side. Unfortunately we’ve been on the wrong side.

“I’m not saying and never will say that’s the reason why we’ve lost this game, because 500 is a lot of runs.

“You just want something that is consistent, so when the people that use the system are saying something that has gone wrong, whatever it is, who’s to say it’s not gone wrong at another time that could prove pivotal?

“Umpire’s call, personally I think we should just get rid of it. If it’s hitting the stumps, it’s hitting the stumps, then it’s a level playing field.

“It’s not me blaming that on what’s happened here, like I didn’t last week. It’s just … what’s going on?”