Ben Stokes blames ‘DRS’ for Rajkot hammering

England captain lamented the “umpires call” in the decision review system after Zak Crawley’s dismissal in the second innings of the third Test against India at Rajkot.

The England captain alongside head coach Brendon McCullum was seen seeking clarification from match referee Jeff Crowe after England’s 434-run loss.

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

Cricket – Third Test – India v England – Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot, India – February 17, 2024 England’s Ollie Pope with Ben Stokes and Mark Wood during the match. (REUTERS/Amit Dave)

“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.

“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?”

The fourth Test of the series will begin from February 23 in Ranchi.

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