sCOLOMBO: Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Monday he was disappointed that the umpire review system would not be used for the upcoming three Test series with India.
"As a player and a team, we are very much for the umpire decision review system," skipper Kumar Sangakkara told reporters ahead of the Indian series starting Sunday at Galle in southern Sri Lanka.
Sangakkara said the International Cricket Council (ICC) should seriously consider using the review system on a permanent basis to avoid human error at crucial stages of the game.
"At high levels of umpiring you get things right about 92 percent of the time. But the eight percent is also now important at the high level the game is played these days," Sangakkara said.
Under the ICC rules, the host country needs the consent of the visiting team to use the review system, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said.
"We are very much in favour of it. When we checked with India, they were not happy to have it," Ranatunga said.
The review system, which has courted controversy since its implementation, was first used in the 2008 series between the same teams.
During the Indian tour, Sri Lanka made 11 successful reviews in the 2-1 series win, as opposed to India`s one.
On their return tour to India last year, Sangakkara lamented the absence of the review technology.
He said it cost his side "over 500 runs and a lot of wickets" during the 2-0 defeat. To add to his frustration, the review system was used in two series being played at the same time.
Ranatunga said the absence of the review system would be a disadvantage for both teams.
"Not only for Sri Lanka, it`s a disadvantage for India as well. It`s a disadvantage for all the players," Ranatunga said adding that the Indians had not given any reason for turning down the review system.
The three Test series starts in Galle on July 18, before moving to Colombo for the second test at the Sinhalese Sports Club on July 26 and then the P. Sara Stadium on August 03.
BDST: 2022hrs, July 12, 2010
