What Technology Says About Decision-Making

Abstract

We assemble and analyze a novel data set that provides evidence on the quality of decision-making by on-field umpires and teams in the sport of cricket. The decision review system, introduced in November 2009, gives teams a limited right to challenge an on-field umpire’s decision. Of the 1,201 on-field umpire decisions that were challenged in test matches by nine playing teams between 2009 and 2014, 310 (25.81%) were reversed by a 3rd umpire. Controlling for several match and team characteristics, logistic regressions show that (1) leg before wicket (LBW) and caught decisions that are ruled “out” by the on-field umpire are more likely to be reversed than decisions that are ruled “not out”; (2) for both LBW and caught decisions, home and away teams are equally likely to win a 3rd umpire reversal.