Source - New Zealand Herald
Nigel Llong will officiate the Black Caps in next week's first test against Sri Lanka, a week after the International Cricket Council admitted he made a mistake as television umpire in the side's third test defeat to Australia. Llong will umpire alongside Australian Paul Reiffel for the three man team in the first test starting in Dunedin next Thursday.
The same three umpires will look after the second test in Hamilton starting on December 18. It's unclear from the ICC press release whether Llong will be out in the middle or in charge of the television duties. On Tuesday the ICC released the statement saying Llong was incorrect in making his controversial decision during day two of the day-night test.
Llong came into the spotlight when the Black Caps reviewed a not-out decision, believing Nathan Lyon was caught at second slip off the bowling of Mitchell Santner.
The Kiwis were confident they would have an appeal for the overturned by the Decision Review System only for the original verdict to remain despite a clear mark on the hot spot technology suggesting he had hit the ball.
Llong uttered the now-memorable phrase of
“
There's a mark on a bat, but it could come from anywhere.
”
Lyon was on 0 at the time, and went on to make 34 in a 74-run stand, the biggest of the match, to pull Australia back into the match. In a series of tweets, the ICC acknowledged that Llong's decision was incorrect.As a result of Llong's blunder, there have been calls for specialist television umpires.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson confirmed team management sent a "please explain" to the Council over the controversial call, demanding to know how Llong arrived at the verdict which angered the team and baffled many cricket followers. The coach was at pains to point out the Kiwis did not have any qualms over the technology, just how it was used. "Technology has got a bit of a bad rap, I don't think there's anything wrong with the technology," Hesson said. "There is a process that needs to be followed with these decisions and we need to make sure that process was followed correctly."