sport, local-cricket

Ricky Ponting claims cricket faces an "epidemic" of umpires not calling no-balls after only replays denied James Pattinson a wicket at the SCG for overstepping. The Australian quick bowler thought he had the wicket of New Zealand rookie Glenn Phillips on the third day of the third Test, before replays showed he'd overstepped. The Seven Network claimed on-field umpires failed to call four other no-balls in Pattinson's previous two overs, before he claimed the wicket. No-balls have remained a talking a point of the Test summer. Twenty-one were missed in just two sessions of the first match of the summer, before Pakistan teenager Naseem Shah missed out on his first Test wicket in Brisbane for overstepping. England's Stuart Broad also had a wicket knocked back against South Africa on Saturday for a no-ball, after he wasn't called for overstepping the ball before. On that occasion, broadcasters claimed as many as 12 had been missed in the session. The ICC are currently trialling having a TV umpire call no-balls in limited-overs matches, in a bid to ease the load on the bowler's-end umpire. But Ponting did not believe that was a reasonable excuse. "I am not having it for one minute that the umpires are not looking at it," the former Test captain said during commentary. "(To say) they are looking at the strikers' end only. That is not good enough. It is part of umpiring. It is part of what comes with the job. "It is no different than missing a wide or a leg bye. It is still an on-field decision that the umpires have to make. "It is an epidemic around the world. I watched a lot of the Test last night (between South Africa and England) and it was embarrassing." Missing no-balls generally benefit the batting side while bowlers are disadvantaged as they do not have a chance to readjust before being called on wicket-taking deliveries. Meanwhile, former Australian quick Peter George is working on technology that would immediately alert on-field umpires if a bowler has overstepped by using microchips in shoes. Australian Associated Press

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