'DRS should incorporate wides into its remit' - Tahir and Vettori back Samson

Royals captain Samson was left seemingly exasperated after Nitin Pandit called for three tight wides in the 19th over of KKR face off. Two of the ESPNcricinfo experts, Daniel Vettori and Imran Tahir, have called for wides and height no-balls to be available for reviews even though they haven't resulted in a dismissal. 

This statement was made originally by Vettori on the show 'Mute Me' last week, and he repeated it on the T20 Time: Out post-game show on Monday night, just after the 19th over of Kolkata Knight Riders' face off left Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson with anxiety alongside umpire Nitin Pandit for calling three wides when he contended that the batter had shifted around in the crease even before the bowler Prasidh Krishna had released the ball.

It appeared that at one point, the Captain went ahead and reviewed a wide for a catch, which could have been a subtle sign of a protest. "I don't think there was any thought of it actually being out," Vettori stated. "Absolutely all players should be allowed to review wides. The players should be able to decide on such crucial matters."

Vettori further discussed the new takes on the match. "Today, it is a little bit more different where it always looked like KKR are going to win. But we have sat here so many times and seen the decisions go against bowlers that are so close, and the umpire has got it wrong."

Vettori said that the players should have some 'avenues' towards correcting umpire oriented mistakes. "This is why DRS was brought in: to rectify mistakes. I would like to see that happen. And players are very good judges of that. They get it right more often than not." he said. Vettori is currently a coach in the Big Bash League. He has previously coached in the IPL. 

Tahir, who is still active as a player, agreed with Vettori. "Yeah, why not? There is not much for bowlers in the game. When batsmen are hitting you all over, you don't have much choice than bowling wide yorkers or bowling wide-leg breaks. When that becomes a wide, you are in trouble," Tahir said when asked if the players should be allowed to review what are essentially judgement calls.

Tahir also said that the incident should not be labelled as a big issue. "But look, it was a close call. Samson was a little bit frustrated. It was a 50-50 thing. I don't think it should be a big issue. Kolkata played well, and they were going to win it. But yeah, there should be a review that a player can go for," Tahir said.

The debate is still on if there should be two extra reviews available to each side, which could result in games being pulled on for longer durations, or if players should be allowed to review any decision they want, provided they stay within their original two-review limit.