Key takeaways
- Any decision on whether a batter is out can be reviewed by a player, except timed out; only the dismissed batter can review an out, and only the fielding captain a not out.
- The request is a 'T' sign, made within 15 seconds of the ball becoming dead, without help from the dressing room.
- Each team gets three unsuccessful reviews per innings in Tests and two in ODIs and T20Is; successful reviews do not count.
- Approved tools are ball-tracking (Hawk-Eye or Virtual Eye), sound-based edge detection (Real-Time Snickometer or UltraEdge), Hot Spot and LED wickets.
- An LBW review that stays unchanged only because of umpire's call does not count against the team's allowance.
The Decision Review System, DRS, lets players challenge an umpire's decision and lets umpires check close calls with television and tracking technology. Its rules are not in MCC's Laws of Cricket but in the ICC's playing conditions for international cricket, in Appendix D. This guide follows the October 2026 men's Test, ODI and T20I versions.
Two kinds of review
| Umpire review | Player review | |
|---|---|---|
| Who starts it | An on-field umpire | A player |
| What it covers | Run outs, stumpings, bowled and hit wicket appeals, and help on catches and obstructing the field | Any decision on whether a batter is out, except timed out |
| How it is signalled | The umpire draws a TV screen shape with the hands | The player makes a "T" with both forearms at head height |
For umpire reviews, the third umpire signals the result with a red light for out and green for not out, or through the big screen. Before looking at the dismissal itself, the third umpire checks the delivery was fair; the third umpire already rules on front-foot no balls separately.
Asking for a player review
The playing conditions set strict rules:
- Who: only the batter involved can review an out decision; only the fielding captain, or acting captain, can review a not out.
- When: within 15 seconds of the ball becoming dead. The bowler's end umpire prompts after 10 seconds; a late request is declined.
- Help: the captain may consult the bowler and fielders, and the two batters may consult each other. Signals from the dressing room are banned, and big-screen replays may not be shown until the 15 seconds have passed.
- For LBW, the captain or batters may ask the umpire one question: whether the decision assumed the striker made no genuine attempt to play the ball.
- No take-backs: a review cannot be withdrawn once requested.
How many reviews each team gets
| Format | Unsuccessful player reviews allowed per team, per innings |
|---|---|
| Test | 3 |
| ODI | 2 |
| T20I | 2 |
What counts as "unsuccessful" is precise:
| Outcome | Counts against the team? |
|---|---|
| Decision reversed (successful) | No |
| Decision unchanged | Yes |
| Out stands, but for a different mode of dismissal | Yes |
| LBW unchanged solely because of umpire's call | No |
| Not out stands because the ball was a no ball | No |
The match referee can reinstate an unsuccessful review if the technology failed and the review could not properly be completed, but not if the technology worked and the evidence was simply inconclusive. The scoreboard shows each team's remaining reviews.
The technology
The ICC lists the approved tools a third umpire may use for a player review:
- replays at any speed from any broadcast camera, and stump-microphone sound;
- ball-tracking: Hawk-Eye (Hawk-Eye Innovations) or Virtual Eye (ARL);
- sound-based edge detection: Real-Time Snickometer (BBG Sports) or UltraEdge (Hawk-Eye Innovations);
- heat-based edge detection: Hot Spot cameras (BBG Sports);
- LED wickets: Zing bails and stumps, whose lights show when the wicket is broken.
The ICC may remove a technology before or during a match if it cannot provide accurate and timely information.
Umpire's call
Ball-tracking reports where an LBW delivery pitched, where it hit the batter and whether it would have hit the stumps. When the impact or wicket reading is marginal, for example the ball clipping the stumps with its centre outside the outline of stumps and bails, the result is umpire's call and the on-field decision stands. The protocol also leaves a not-out decision standing when the ball hit the batter 300 cm or more from the stumps. The LBW rule explained goes through each reading in detail.
What the third umpire can add
The third umpire must not withhold factual information. If a review shows the batter is out by a different method than the one given, the third umpire tells the on-field umpire, which is how a reviewed LBW can become caught. When a decision is reversed, the on-field umpire first makes the "revoke last signal" signal, then gives the new decision; cricket umpire signals explains each one.
Reviews are a resource as much as a rule: a team that wastes them early may be left without one when it matters. In Cricket Sport Career Simulator, one of our sports career games, cricket IQ is one of the skills you develop for exactly that kind of match decision.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How many DRS reviews does each team get?
Who can ask for a review?
Do you lose a review on umpire's call?
What is the 15-second rule?
Sources
- ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions, October 2026 (Appendix D: Decision Review System) (opens in a new tab)International Cricket Council — accessed
- ICC Men's ODI Playing Conditions, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)International Cricket Council — accessed
- ICC Men's T20I Playing Conditions, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)International Cricket Council — accessed
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