Cricket: Cup last spin for review system

The number of cameras needed to cover all matches was far in excess of the number available, says Allardice. Photo / Greg Bowker

This summer's World Cup could be the last major cricket event to use the current Decision Review System.

As he confirmed there would be no Hot Spot used during the cup, which starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, the International Cricket Council's cricket operations manager Geoff Allardice said after the changes in the ICC's governance last year, a different system could be in place by 2017.

"I think after the World Cup we'll revisit the last few years and see how it's going and whether the protocols in place at the moment are the ones that serve our game the best," he said.

A review of the entire DRS system is expected to be completed in the second half of this year.

There will be real time Snicko and Hawkeye ball tracking at the cup. Allardice said the cost of the cameras needed for Hot Spot and the difficulty of getting the equipment spread over two countries ruled it out. A minimum of two cameras, and preferably four, are needed for each game.

"The number of cameras needed to cover all matches was far in excess of the number available, so it wasn't practical to do it for all matches under the same conditions," Allardice said.

That's not unreasonable, in terms of keeping a level field. However, it seems the idea of bringing Hot Spot - the infrared system used to detect edges off bats - in from the quarter-finals onwards was discounted, which seems a weak decision.

Allardice confirmed umpires had been encouraged to take a tougher stance on poor on-field behaviour. Bans for level two offences are likely to be far tougher at the World Cup than in the past.

"[For] a level one offence you only have the option of fines and the majority of incidents are at that level. So it might be stiffer fines," he said. "If players are conducting level two charges, suspension is an option."