TV umpire can indicate contact between bat and ball

Mumbai, Feb 24 (UNI) According to the rules and regulations adopted by the ICC for next month's World Cup in West Indies, the TV umpire has been empowered to give an indication if replays show there was no contact between bat and ball when an appeal for caught behind is referred to him.

Among other interesting regulations for the March 13-April 28 event in the West Indies, is the provision for moving the matches in case of a dangerous pitch, to continue a match even under a drizzle in certain situations, bowl-outs to break a tie result in semifinals and final, and vesting the Match Referee with powers to suggest suspension of play citing security concerns.

The relevant portion about the clause over clean catches states: ''The third umpire has to determine whether the batsman has been caught. However, when reviewing TV replay(s) if it is clear to the third umpire that the batsman did not hit the ball, he shall indicate that the batsman is not out.'' So far, the third umpire has been called in only to indicate if the catch had been taken cleanly.

UNI