Third umpire
Encyclopedia
In international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

 matches the third umpire (or TV Umpire) is an off-field umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...

 who makes the final decision in questions referred to him by the two on-field umpires. Television replays are available to the third umpire to assist him in coming to a decision. An on-field umpire can, at his own discretion, use a radio link to refer any close decision concerning dismissals
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...

 (catches, runouts or stumpings) or boundaries
Boundary (cricket)
Boundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket:# the edge or boundary of the playing field, and# a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...

 to the third umpire.

History

The third umpire was conceptualized by former Sri Lankan Test cricketer, and current cricket writer Mahinda Wijesinghe and debuted in Test cricket in 1992 at Kingsmead, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

 for the South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...

 vs. India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....

 series. Karl Liebenberg and Cyril Mitchley
Cyril Mitchley
Cyril John Mitchley is a former South African first-class and Test cricket umpire. After a short playing career for Transvaal as a wicket-keeper, he became an umpire, culminating with him becoming a Test cricket umpire. Between 1992 and 2000, he stood in 26 Test matches and 61 One Day...

 were TV umpires in this match. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...

 became the first batsman to be dismissed (run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...

) by using television replays in the second day of the Test.

Functions

In the case of a run out or stumping, a batsman may be declared "out" if the wicket is 'put down'. The wicket is down if a bail is removed from the top of the stumps or a wicket is struck out of the ground, whether by the ball, the bat or the striker's person. If the batsman is caught between the two popping creases
Crease (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, the crease is a certain area demarcated by white lines painted or chalked on the field of play.The term crease also refers to any of the lines themselves, particularly the popping crease. Law 9 of the Laws of Cricket governs the size and position of the crease markings...

 if the wicket is put down, the batsman is declared out. In most cases, the event occurs in a fraction of a second. If the field umpires are unable to accurately come to a decision on the dismissal of a batsman, the umpire requests the third umpire to ascertain whether the batsman had made it home. The third umpire then looks at various TV replays from different angles and comes to a conclusion by pressing the appropriate signal. Originally decisions were conveyed in traffic light style (a red light indicating a batsman's dismissal, a green light not out); it is now common practice to display the decision via the large screen scoreboard, if available. If the umpire is unsure if a batsman is out or not, due to lack of conclusive evidence, the usual procedure is to acquit the batsman, known in cricketing parlance as "the benefit of the doubt".

The third umpire may also be called upon if the on-field umpire cannot decide which batsman is out (i.e. they end up at the same end). An example of this was the Third Test between New Zealand and the West Indies in 2006.

A batsman is caught out if a fielder
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...

 catches the ball on the fly. In some cases the fielder may catch the ball a few inches above ground level. If the umpire's vision is obscured or is unsure if the ball bounced before the fielder caught the ball, he can also refer the decision.

A six is scored if the batsman hits the ball directly beyond the perimeter of the field. In some cases the ball may bounce just a foot inside the boundary rope resulting in four runs. If the umpire needs to ascertain if it had been a 4 or a 6, he may consult the third umpire. Near the boundary, often a fielder may dive to save the ball from travelling beyond the boundary. If the fielder makes any simultaneous contact with the boundary and the cricket ball, 4 runs are declared. A third umpire may also be consulted in such a case.
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