Cricket: McGrath says umpiring experiment didn't work

Australia's top paceman Glenn McGrath said yesterday the third umpire referral technology used in the super series cricket test against the World 11 has been a failure and the video replay should be used only for stumpings and run outs.

World XI skipper Graeme Smith, whose side lost by 210 runs to Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) yesterday, said the technology was in an "experimental phase" and it was too early to make a final judgement, while Australian captain Ricky Ponting agreed.

But McGrath, who took three wickets against the World XI to lift his test tally to 521, two ahead of former West Indian quick Courtney Walsh, was in no doubt.

"I think it's shown already that you are still going to make mistakes using it," McGrath said on Sydney 2KY Radio.

"I would prefer to keep it the way it is -- just use it for the stumpings and run outs, the things that I think are clear-cut.

"It is a funny one. We've watched decisions in the rooms and we're divided in the rooms.

"If the guys who have played the game can't make a decision by what the evidence shows on TV, it's going to be tough for the third umpire."

Umpires Rudi Koertzen of South Africa and Australia's Simon Taufel have trialled the concept of referring other decisions to the third umpire, such as LBW and caught, with mixed results and plenty of booing and cheering from the SCG crowd and even some cross words from players.

Ponting appeared to be most upset during Sunday's third day's play when on 31.

Umpire Taufel referred an LBW appeal from spinner Muttiah Muralitharan to the third umpire before eventually giving the decision not out.

Ponting yesterday tried to defuse talk that he had clashed angrily with Taufel, saying he was simply trying to convince the umpire the ball had hit the bat and it should have been a run instead of a leg bye.

"I was trying to get one more extra run out of him actually," the skipper grinned.

Ponting says fans must be patient with the third umpire referrals experiment. He said his side would be keen to present its views to player body the Australian Cricketers' Association.

"The thing when we are trialing technology the way that we have here, you are expecting every decision to be perfect, just because of the new technology," Ponting said.

"But some dismissals can be very hard to pick up and determine," he said.

"I've been pretty impressed with the way it's worked in this test match. It's been useful to have."

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed said it was the first time the technology had been trialled in a test match and the results would be reviewed.

"We will take a cautious approach with it," he said.

"It was a good opportunity for us to trial it here. We've taken that opportunity. We'll see where we go from there."

- AAP