Umpire (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, two umpires are on the field of play to take charge of the match. They are there to watch everything that happens in the game, and make sure nothing is done that breaks The Laws of Cricket (the sport's rules). The umpires make all decisions about the play. This includes deciding if the bowler has bowled the ball correctly; if the batter has been dismissed or not; how many runs have been scored; and if the pitch and weather conditions are suitable for play to take place.

Law 2 of The Laws is directly concerned with umpiring. It begins by stating:^[1]

Before the match, two umpires shall be appointed, one for each end, to control the match as required by the Laws, with absolute impartiality.

Section 2.12 of Law 2 concerns umpiring decisions. Although it allows for a decision to be altered, providing it is done promptly, 2.12 states emphatically that "an umpire's decision, once made, is final".^[1]

The most usual reason for a decision being changed is when it has been referred to the Decision Review System (DRS), and video evidence has shown that the umpire was mistaken. In such cases, the umpire will alter the decision. For example, if the umpire has given the batter out leg before wicket (lbw), but a review shows that the ball would actually have missed the wicket, the umpire will reverse the "out" decision and rule "not out".^[2]