Boria Majumdar: Is DRS the answer?

the ICC should also adopt a specialised programme in trying to give umpiring a fillip.

If a batsman has a weakness against the short ball, it is imperative he goes back to the nets and corrects it. May be his body isn't in proper ‘shape', as Suresh Raina likes to say it, or his balance is improper or his hands aren't coming down right while pulling or hooking the delivery.
In all these cases the batsman has to rectify the flaws himself. The option is to not to wear another piece of protective gear in trying to negate a possible injury against the short ball but to gut it out and improve flaws in technique. The rectification is to be done by the man himself, not by relying on a machine and adding one further piece of protective gear to the batsman's armoury.
In case of umpiring decisions also, the problem with pathetic on-field umpiring is to be solved by improving the quality of on-field umpires, not by resorting to technology at the drop of a hat. UDRS or DRS is a separate debate altogether and one that merits immediate discussion for sure. But it is not to be confused with the basic quality of on field umpiring, which, at Sabina Park was poor.
Use of technology isn't aimed to reduce the importance of on field umpires is what the ICC wants us to believe. Rather, it is to help them in making fewer mistakes. It is like specialised mental or physical coaching before going into an important game and the emphasis here is on the word, ‘specialised'. Unless your basic preparation is in order specialised coaching won't help.
In Jamaica, the basics were out of place and in such a situation technology will only have a minimal impact. With each team having two reviews at their disposal it can be conjectured that six umpiring howlers can hardly be corrected with two reviews for captains are expected to use them prudently and not rush into using a review every time there is a slight semblance of a mistake. Again as the experts put it, ‘a review is there to eliminate a howler, not to challenge a marginal lbw decision'.
In fact, if the criticism of Daryl Harper is interpreted as a boost to technology, the principal flaw, i.e. poor on field umpiring, will be allowed to persist. Such a thing will only weaken the edifice of the game in the long run and make it more technology dependant.
Rather, the fundamental question that needs immediate debate is why are there so few good umpires? Why is it that only 9-10 umpires are capable of making it to the ICC's elite panel? With a decent pay and good enough profile why aren't more people taking up umpiring? Just like cricket playing or cricket coaching, it is yet another job that people need to prepare themselves for.
Are the pressures too much to handle with too little to gain? For example, a good decision is hardly ever lauded while one mistake is often blown out of proportion. In other words are people averse to becoming umpires because it is a thankless job?
Quality umpires are a fast disappearing species and need immediate protection. Just like a rare species is protected and offered several incentives, umpires too deserve better. May be a better pay packet or even post retirement benefits, incentives that will lure the best to embrace the profession. Cricket can't go on without quality umpires is the harsh truth and much needs to be done to address the growing flaw of poor on field umpiring.
Technology, as discussed, isn't the only answer and is in fact only the secondary answer. While DRS will be debated at the ICC's annual session in Hongkong, umpiring as a whole too needs to be discussed and correctives formulated. While the ICC may certainly outvote the BCCI and make DRS mandatory, such a step will not eliminate the curse of poor on field umpiring that is rapidly becoming a norm in world cricket.
The truth is the ICC needs to treat the cause and not concentrate on treating the effect. The quality of umpiring is the subject of anxiety and it is essential to understand that. Quality enhancement is only possible if there is quality, which in the current context isn't the case. No DRS can render the game perfect if Sabina Park is the norm, a realisation important enough for the game's apex body to debate the issue as they brainstorm in Hong Kong.