Trial extends to Windies tour

Players will be able to refer umpires’ decisions during England’s Test series in the West Indies next year.

The series, which gets under way in February, was one of four selected by the International Cricket Council for the extension of the trial that began with Sri Lanka’s series against India this year.

The system allows a team to make up to three unsuccessful appeals against a decision in an innings, with TV replays used to judge them.

On the first day of a two-day board meeting in Dubai, the governing body confirmed that the series between New Zealand and West Indies in December, India and Pakistan in January/February, and South Africa and Australia in February/March will use the system, pending agreement from the relevant chief executives.

The aim is to expose the system to as many referees, umpires and players as possible ahead of a decision on whether it should be implemented permanently.

That will be debated by the ICC’s cricket committee next year.

They also agreed to look at possible changes to bilateral tours, including an enhanced Test championship, and to undertake further research into whether there should be an application to have cricket included in the 2020 Olympics.

It was decided that next April’s ICC World Cup qualifier should be moved from the Middle East to South Africa, pending that country’s governing body’s permission, after the Emirates Cricket Board admitted not all venues would be ready in time.

Tomorrow the board is set to discuss the dates for the Champions Trophy, which was postponed last month due to security concerns and rescheduled for next year.