Cricket: Umpire reviews go in Black Caps' favour

Daniel Flynn in action against Pakistan yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

Daniel Flynn might be feeling himself a victim of historical circumstance today.

The New Zealand left-hander became the first player in this country to be given out on a third umpire's review of a decision against the West Indies at University Oval last December, when five short of what would have been a maiden test hundred.

Had that happened yesterday, under the new, enhanced system - and without getting bound up in the finer technical points - Flynn would have survived.

The Umpires Decision Review System got two airings on the opening day of the New Zealand-Pakistan test series - ironically also at University Oval - and both produced correct decisions, in New Zealand's favour.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf appealed a rejected lbw decision on Ross Taylor, when he was on 54. The third umpire, Rudi Koertzen, upheld the on-field official, Billy Doctrove's decision.

Then off the second-last ball of the day, Koertzen overturned the other umpire, Simon Taufel's call to give Brendon McCullum out lbw - the luckless Mohammad Asif the bowler on both occasions.

The third umpire's role is simpler now.

He has no judgments to make, merely to check the on-screen information and advise the officials in the middle what his monitor tells him.

At least half the ball must strike the batsman's pads inside a prescribed zone spread between the leg and off stumps.

The third umpire, and the television viewer, see colour-coded bars - green, orange or red - to indicate the impact point of ball on pad. Based on that, he advises the on-field umpire whether the original decision should stand, or be reversed.

"It was interpreted exactly the way the system is supposed to work," International Cricket Council umpires' manager Doug Cowie said last night.

"We have processes in place that give clear indications to the third umpire whether he should change the decision or not."

Cowie said no umpire liked to make mistakes, "but I think umpires would rather see their mistakes corrected before they go to bed".

And it will be quicker, meaning less holdups waiting for a decision.

"It's about getting rid of the obvious errors," Cowie said.