What is soft signal in cricket
Cricket, a sport with a rich history that dates back to the 16th century in England, holds its place as one of the most loved and watched sports around the world. This sport has quite a few rules that are unique to itself and their application can cause significant differences in match situations. One such rule is related to ‘Soft Signal’. This relatively newer aspect of cricket regulation generates debate among fans, analysts and players alike for its ambiguity surrounding certain aspects.
Understanding Soft Signals in Cricket
‘Making sense of soft signals’ may not make immediate sense to someone new to cricket. However, understanding it is simpler than you might think. The concept of the ‘soft signal’ was introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to assist on-field umpires in making certain decisions in collaboration with television umpires or third umpires. Essentially, when an on-field umpire is unsure about a catch decision – generally because they couldn’t see properly from their position due to visual obstacles -, they use this system known as the ‘soft signal’ before referring the decision for video review.
To explain further – once there’s uncertainty regarding a catch or boundary decision, the field umpire inputs his initial judgement termed often as a ‘soft signal’, indicating whether they thought it was out or not based on their best view and judgment. It’s called ‘soft’ because it can be overturned by the third umpire after reviewing video evidence.
The Objective of Introducing Soft Signals
The aim behind introducing the soft signal rule was straightforward – bridging gaps between on-ground realities percieved by on-field umpires and what remotely-placed TV tech could reveal. Sometimes, two-dimensional broadcast images could create optical illusions – rendering stuff look deceptive than real-life scenarios seen from different perspectives. For example, low catches occasionally appear like grassed ones on TV while conversely being judged clean by the fielder and on-field umpire. Hence, to bring a balance between technological intervention and human judgement, soft signals were brought into existence.
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Pros of Soft Signals
Balance is necessary, and one positive aspect of soft signals is that they can help maintain equilibrium in situations made tricky due to optical illusions. Moreover, trust and responsibility placed on on-field umpires grow with this system’s existence – ensuring the game does not lose its traditional roots despite advancements in technology.
Cons of Soft Signals
However, everything comes with a flip side. Detractors argue that television reviews offer more objective means of making decisions compared to relying heavily on what could be flawed human perception. Plus, there are instances where controversial soft signal decisions have led to calls for their eradication from cricket laws.
The Debate Around Soft Signal Shifts Gear: IPL 2021 & ICC’s Intervention
Things surrounding soft signals began heating up during the India vs England ODI series in early 2021 when few contentious decisions based on soft signals went against touring English team creating quite a stir. Following these incidents, the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council decided to remove this rule starting from IPL 2021 season.
Not too late after this move by the IPL, ICC declared an update regarding soft signal rules during June 2021 ahead of inaugural World Test Championship Final. Now as per new rules by the ICC, in case of boundary catches or unclear ones inside the playing ground – no need exists for on-field umpires to give out any ‘soft signal’.
This change reflects ICC’s proactiveness towards eliminating controversies while ensuring games proceed without unnecessary conflicts among teams or fan bases due to ambiguous laws. It also strives better alignment between evolving technology usage within match officiating protocols and mitigating burdens off uncertain umpiring views.
