Explained | What is Soft Signal and why does it divide opinion?

The debate around the soft signal from the on-field umpires has been reignited once again. The debate comes to fore after one of the umpires in the second Test between England and New Zealand, Richard Kettleborough signalled not out to an attempted catch by Zak Crawley off the edge of Devon Conway’s bat. As soon as the umpire signalled it a bumped ball, England vice-captain and the bowler affecting the particular dismissal, Stuart Broad, questioned the decision.

The decision was then retained as the third umpire could not find ‘conclusive evidence’ needed to overturn the ‘soft signal' made by the on-field umpires. 

For a long time now, the logic behind the International Cricket Council’s decision to bring in soft signal provision has been questioned and it is not dying anytime soon. 

A school of thought suggests that the rule must be amended to allow the third umpire to have full authority to make decisions on the evidence he gathers from slow-motion replays and different angles produced by broadcasting cameras.

The question is what exactly is the soft-signal and how does it affect the decision-making process overall?

What is a soft signal?

The ICC explains the soft signal by putting the onus on the umpires standing in the match. The rule states that, in case the on-field umpires need assistance from their colleague upstairs, they would have to come to a decision themselves (out or not out) and then refer it upstairs for further checking.

The thought behind this is that the on-field umpires are best placed to see the action and then make an educated decision when it comes to the 50-50 decisions on the field.

The downside of this ruling is that this brings an inherent umpire’s bias into play and unless the third umpire has conclusive evidence to suggest otherwise, the on-field decision is deemed final.

ICC's stance

“Should both on-field umpires require assistance from the third umpire to make a decision, the bowler’s end umpire shall firstly take a decision on-field after consulting with the striker’s end umpire, before consulting by two-way radio with the third umpire. Such consultation shall be initiated by the bowler’s end umpire to the third umpire by making the shape of a TV screen with his/her hands, followed by a Soft Signal of Out or Not out made with the hands close to the chest at chest height. If the third umpire advises that the replay evidence is inconclusive, the on-field decision communicated at the start of the consultation process shall stand,” says the ICC explaining the protocol that governs the soft signal rule.

Problems of soft signal

The rule has come under severe scrutiny in the wake of many close calls in the outfield and sometimes also in the slips, like in the ongoing Test between England and New Zealand. 

The school of thought that is not so sure of the soft signal process and its authenticity demands amendments in the rule. They argue that the on-field umpires cannot see the minute details of close catches in real-time and hence the third umpire, who is equipped with all the modern-day technology should be empowered to make a decision based on evidence and process.

MCC's stance

The Marylebone Cricket Club, too, had taken cognisance of the controversy surrounding the soft signal and had opined that for catches beyond the limit of the 30-yard circle, on-field umpires should be given an extra option of calling ‘unsighted’ instead of making an ‘explicit’ signal of out or not out.

“The committee felt that the soft-signal system worked well for catches within the 30-yard fielding circle, but that catches near the boundary often left the umpires unsighted. It was proposed that, for such catches, the on-field umpires could give an ‘unsighted’ instruction to the TV umpire, rather than the more explicit soft-signal of Out or Not out,” The MCC had said in its statement earlier this year.

As per media reports, the ICC was mulling revoking the soft signal provision for the World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand but fair to say, the rule, like many other rules of the game, has only left common people fazed and searching for logic.

Notable instances

Earlier in the year, during the England tour of India, Virat Kohli had raised objections to the soft signal protocol saying that if fielders catching the ball can not be sure or correct, how come umpire standing at a far distance can make a correct decision.

In the fourth T20 of the series against England, India had suffered two close calls that went against them that led to Kohli’s rebuke of the provisions.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) removed the soft signal rule from the playing conditions of the IPL 2021 that begun just after the series against England.