Cricket officials hope that allowing technology to help players challenge umpiring decisions will improve the game.

Cricket will use the challenge system on a trial basis during India's three-test and five limited-overs international tour of Sri Lanka next month, taking the lead of tennis, which has used TV technology to allow players to challenge decisions in Grand Slam events since 2006.

International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson hopes the move will cut down on incorrect calls.

"Our elite and international panel umpires already ensure the vast majority of decisions made in any test or ODI are correct but we want to see if we can enhance the game further by reducing or removing the few clearly incorrect ones," Richardson said Tuesday.

Like tennis, each side will be allowed three challenges in each innings, which Richardson said would eliminate "frivolous challenges and, instead, only seek a referral to decisions that, it is quickly clear, are highly likely to be incorrect." The number of challenges remains intact if a decision is overturned using the system.
A player can request the review of any decision taken by the on-field umpires except a "Timed Out," which dictates the maximum time a batsman is allowed to reach the crease at the fall of a wicket.

The appeals can be made only by the batsman subject to the umpire's original decision or the captain of the fielding side, each indicating it with a "T" sign with both forearms at shoulder height.

"Once the series is over we will conduct a thorough review of the process before deciding whether the trial was successful and worth persevering with," Richardson said.

Sri Lanka cricket chief executive Duleep Mendis, who led Sri Lanka to its first test series win in 1985, backed the decision.

"As a past player we used to say that good and bad decisions would even themselves out, but times have changed," Mendis said. "The stakes are much higher now for all concerned and if the technology is available then why not use it?"