Tony Becca, Contributor

THE ICC, the International Cricket Council, and not the ECB, the England and Wales Cricket Board, is the governing body of the game of cricket around the world, and logically it is the ICC that should promote changes in the game - and especially so when it comes to the laws of the game and how those laws are protected.

Well, in a move that could be good for the game, the ECB has taken a march on the ICC.

For many years, batsmen, bowlers and fielders have been complaining about umpiring decisions around the world, and for years those complaints have fallen on deaf ears.

Recently, however, the powers that be have backed off a bit and instead of two umpires from the home team officiating in matches, the two officials, in Test matches and certainly at the highest level in one-day matches, are now neutral, and umpires can now also consult with the third umpire, the television umpire, for certain decisions - including those dealing with runouts and stumpings.

On top of that, there have been trials dealing with the leg-before-wicket decision as far as where the ball pitches in relation to the leg stump and right now umpires have the use of the stump microphone to assist them in dealing with catches to the wicketkeeper.

Over the years, however, the game has frowned on players who question the umpires' decisions and despite the fact that the umpires could ask for a second opinion from those who are in a better position to see and therefore to know, for years the powers that be have turned a deaf ear to calls that would give the players an opportunity to question the umpires - to ask for a second opinion from those in a better to see and therefore to know.

Players powerless

The suggestion that players be given an opportunity to ask the umpire who has, for example, given him out caught behind the wicket, to ask him to double-check with the third umpire was flatly refused on a number of occasions as going against the grain of the game.

Although, in the interest of fair play, that seemed only just, it was seen as questioning the authority of the umpire, and as fair and just as that may have been, that was simply not cricket.

Fair play

Cricket, however, is only a part of the society, the society calls for fair play and justice, and in any form of justice, a man can appeal a finding, a sentence, against him.

Well, in a bid to rectify that, in the interest of justice, the ECB is making an attempt to change things.

Starting tomorrow, the opening day of England's 50-over competition for the Friends Provident Trophy, the players, represented by the captain of the fielding team or the batsman involved in the decision, will be allowed, on a trial basis, to refer on-field decisions to the third umpire.

In other words, if a batsman is, for example, given out caught at the wicket and he feels he is not out, he can ask that the third umpire take a look and, if a batsman, again, for example, is given not out caught at the wicket, the captain of the team can ask that the third umpire take a look.

This, however, cannot go on forever.

Each team will be allowed two appeals per innings and, as it is in tennis, they can keep appealing as long as they win the appeal. Once they lose two, however, they can no longer appeal during that innings.

That is great for the game, and hopefully the trial will be so successful that it will become a part of the game.

According to the statistics, the umpires are usually between 90 and 95 per cent correct, but there is nothing wrong with being 100 per cent right - and certainly not in ensuring that justice is done, not only to both teams but also to the batsman and to the bowler.